Partners In Crime
by sprinkles226
Summary: Taking up from the end of Book 5, chronicles the lengths Harry will go to for those he loves. AU.
1. The Veil Room Diagon Alley

Partners In Crime

A/N: Takes place towards the end of Book 5 : Order of the Phoenix, in the middle of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. AU.

In the Veil Room, located deep within the Ministry of Magic, Neville and Harry once again found themselves surrounded by Death Eaters. Harry instinctively clutched the prophecy tightly in his fingers, as the lead Death Eater stepped forward.

"Hand over the prophecy, Boy!" called out Lucius Malfoy.

Harry was beginning to see how hopeless the situation was, and felt even worse knowing it was all his fault. It was his fault Ron had tangled up with the brain, Luna and Ginny were both hurt, and worst of all Hermione had been severely injured by Dolohov's flame cutter curse. Neville was the only one left standing with him. He had dragged them with him, and now it was up to him to figure out a way to get out.

"Let the others go, and I'll give it up" said Harry, trying to come up with a way for them all to escape. There was a slim chance Lucius wouldn't care what happened to them as long as he had the prophecy.

"You're not really in any position to bargain, are you? There's ten of us, and only two of you. You're outnumbered. Now, GIVE ME THE PROPHECY!" He emphasized his last four words by taking four steps closer.

Harry briefly considered throwing the prophecy as far as he could, in order to buy time to make a run for it. Thoughts of that were banished when one after another, three Death Eaters were struck in the chest with bright red flashes, presumably stunners by the way they just collapsed.

"Look!" called Neville, directing Harry's attention. Sprinting into the room Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley and Moody. The Order had arrived. It was just the distraction they needed.

"_**REDUCTOR**_!" Harry fired off a quick curse and took off running, pulling Neville in his wake.

_'Got to get out...got to get to the others and get out...must escape'... _were the thoughts running through Harry's head as he and Neville avoided debris and ricocheting curses. They weaved their way to the top, only to see the way once again blocked by Lucius Malfoy.

"There's no running away now Potter. Your "rescuers" are all too busy to help you now. Hand it over."

"Don't give it to him, Harry" chimed Neville.

"Ah Yes, the bumbling Longbottom. If I can't kill you, Harry, I shall have to say your friend will suffice. Now..._**AVADA**_...

That was as far as his killing curse got.

"_**STUPIFY**_! _**INCARCEROUS**_!

The stunning spell struck as ropes sprung out and tightened around Lucius. Neville and Harry looked to see who had saved them. There in the entrance, wearing a mask of fury Harry had only seen once before, was none other than Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster moved with a grace defying his age, rapidly taking care of the first three Death Eaters that moved to face him. Avery, Macnair, and Crabbe soon joined Lucius stunned and bound.

Harry took the chance to look around and see how the others were faring. Kingsley was taking on two at a time while managing to hold his own. The Auror was keeping one at bay with a mass of conjured bees, while launching several curses at the other. Tonks was laying in a heap next to a wall but Harry noticed she was slowly trying to pick herself up. Bellatrix moved on to help her husband battle Sirius.

"Neville, take this. I've got to help him." Harry passed the glass ball over, which Neville placed in his tattered robes, and went to join his godfather. Joining his side, Sirius and Harry began a furious assault on the husband and wife. Not expecting the resistance, Rodolphus and Bellatrix backed into the center of the Death Room.

Things were looking up for the light side. Kinsley and Remus were tending to the injured tonks and Moody, while Dumbledore was making his way to the only remaining fight, with all the other Death Eaters incapacitated. It was that moment two curses found there marks, as Harry's Reductor hit Rodolphus, and Bellatrix's hit Sirius a glancing blow on the shoulder. Both were sent flying backwards. Unfortunately, behind Sirius was the Veil. Harry could only watch as his godfather passed through and disappear from view.

"NO!!" Harry heard the scream without realizing it was coming from him. Harry made to follow him, but was quickly restrained by Lupin.

"He's gone Harry. He's dead"

"No, I can't lose him Moony!" Calling on a strength he had never felt before, Harry quickly shrugged off the werewolf, and the last anyone saw of the Boy-who-lived was Harry diving through the veil in the wake of his godfather.

2 months later...

Two cloaked figures made their way down Diagon Alley. It didn't seem out of place, most people were scurrying, glancing around without trying to attract too much attention. It seemed the state of things were getting pretty bad with Voldemort still out there.

"Where to first?" stated the slightly taller of the two.

"Gringotts obviously. Trunk shop next, I believe. I want one of those magically enlarged ones like Mad-Eye has. The apothecary, Ollivander's, Madam Malkin's, Flourish and Blotts, and finally out into the muggle world. I need a new wardrobe, and other accessories of course."

"You know, you're sounding like a bloody chick with all this shopping you wanna do".

"Shut it, smartass. There's a good reason for all of those destinations."

"Well, don't let me keep you Oh Chosen One."

"Fuck you." as he aimed a punch at his shoulder, which the other deftly sidestepped.

The two made their way to the Gringotts, the wizarding bank. The white, marble building stuck out in the dark imposing atmosphere that had struck the Alley. Entering, the two stopped for a moment.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You don't mind not being my guardian anymore?"

"For the last time, yes. Emancipation will give you more freedom to make the choices you need to make. It gives you more control of you, all decisions won't be made on your behalf, but by you. You'll be an adult in every sense. That's not something I should keep from you. And no longer being your guardian doesn't make me any less your godfather. Besides, there's also an added benefit that you'll soon find out."

"Alright, as long as you're sure."

They made their way to the front.

"Can I help you?" rudely greeted a goblin.

"Yes." replied the adult, slipping a pouch of galleons onto the desk. "We need to confidentially arrange this young man's emancipation, and all benefits entitled to that. Then we both need to take a trip down to our vaults. And finally we need a way to spend money without having to run back here whenever we get low. All to be done quietly, I shouldn't need to add.

Quickly making the money pouch disappear into one of his many pockets, the goblin gave them a very toothy smile.

"Gentlemen, if you would please follow me."

Four hours later the two had completed their business at the bank and finished the shopping in Diagon Alley. They made their way through the Leaky Cauldron and out into Muggle London.

"So...where can a growing boy get regular clothes and such?"

"That good sir, is a question I am fully qualified to answer. I happen to have once dated a nice lady, who happened to be the manager of an upstanding department store a few miles north of here. I spent a lot of time there. "

"That's good and all, but how exactly are we supposed to get there? You're lazy ass sure isn't going to walk there."

"The mouth on you lad. I am definitely a bad influence on you, and I'm more the prouder for it. And the answer to your question, young one, is here." Saying that, he handed the slightly smaller man a pouch.

Opening the pouch, he pulled out a set of documents and a key ring.

"Drivers license, passport, birth certificate, other forms of id, and a key ring to a non-existent car."

"First off those are all documents you will need. Secondly, who said non-existent? And finally, who said anything about a car?"

"Now I'm confused."

"Good. Hang on." He said this as he grabbed his companion and side-along apparated to a driveway. There sat two black motorcycles.

"You can't be serious!"

"Funny you should say that, because I am." With a broad grin the man pulled his own key out and sat on one of the bikes. "This one obviously is mine. I bought you that one a while ago intending to give it to you on your 17th birthday. I'm just changing plans. I'm sure with all of your newfound knowledge knowing how to ride a bike won't be too hard. Are we going to get going, or shall we just stand here with our thumbs up our asses. Keep it simple and just follow me."

With that, he took off down the street, leaving his companion to hurry up and get going. With a whoop, he tore off after his partner. The feeling was amazing, closely comparing to the feeling he got on his broom.

_This is awesome!! _

_I'm glad you think so._

_Whoa...still getting used to this talking in each others head thing. _

_There's a lot of things we're both still getting used to. Now just enjoy the ride, we'll talk later._

Rapidly gaining speed, his companion had no choice but to speed up and follow. All too soon they reached their destination. Making their way inside, they both felt a little overwhelmed at the size of the place.

"Umm...where to first?" asked the slightly shorter one.

"Clothes this way." replied the other, pointing to the right. "You know what you're looking for?"

"Besides robes and such, I've never had my own clothes before."

"Well then, lets get you looking like a million quid. We want you to make an impression on your return back to school."

At his words his friend fell into such a fit of laughter, he barely remained standing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just thinking how funny it would be if we walked in to Hogwarts and the first words out of people were 'what, what two finely-dressed gentlemen'. Hilarious."

Seeing the humor, his companion joined him for a chuckle.

"Lets get you a wardrobe, Golden Boy."

"Prick.


	2. Heroes Return

_**Chapter II: Heroes Return...**_

_**September 1st**_

It was hard to believe. Ron and Hermione sat in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, making their way back to the castle. They had finished up with the prefect meeting and just sat their in silence. It just didn't feel right not to have the complete Golden Trio there. Shortly they were joined by Neville, Ginny, and Luna.

"How are you holding up?" asked Neville.

"I still can't believe it. Why would he do something like that? Why would he just kill himself like that?" said Ron.

Hermione thought for a minute. "Think of all he's lost. Sirius was the closest person to family for Harry. Everything he's been through, I supposed he just snapped."

"I really can't blame him." chimed in Ginny.

The others couldn't help but agree. They settled back in uncomfortable silence for the rest of the trip. All too soon they reached their destination, and made their way off of the train and towards the waiting carriages. They all seemed to stop at the same point, and just stared up at the school.

"It just won't be the same without him." commented Neville.

After making their way up to the castle, they took their seats at the Gryffindor table, parting ways with Luna. Ron and Hermione symbolically left a seat between them open. The First years were quickly sorted, with the hat giving the usual song about house unity and such. All too soon it came time for Dumbledore's speech.

"To quickly dispense with the necessities, I must remind all students that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, and that Caretaker Filch has posted an updated list of all banned items outside of his office. Now, more importantly there is one subject I'm sad to say I must discuss. I am talking about the passing of one of our own, Mr. Harry James Potter.

All attention was given to the Headmaster, which meant no one noticed the slowly darkening of the enchanted ceiling. It was almost as if a storm was brewing.

"Mr. Potter lost his life at the end of term last year, when he and others with him launched a rescue mission to the Ministry of Magic. Also dying on that fateful day was Harry's own godfather, Sirius Black."

There were several gasps at his name, with many believing he was still an escaped murdering convict.

"The two went out as they would have wanted, as fighters, doing their best to protect the ones they loved. No words can magically heal the emotional wounds caused by their passing..."

At this point there was definitely a full blown thunderstorm raging above them.

"Let us all raise our glasses, and toast... to Harry and Sirius. True fallen heroes."

As several hundred goblets raised at once, several peculiar things happened. The thunderstorm had reached its crescendo, and massive lightning bolts were striking out. However, instead of stopping well above their heads like the ceiling effects usually did, the bolts actually hit several points around the Great Hall, specifically the house banners hung around. The banners when hit changed from their usual symbol to a new one. The new symbol was of a black phoenix with stripes majestically rising in front of a bright golden lightning bolt. The crowd was speechless.

Not expecting this recent change of events, they were even more surprised to see the entrance doors open, seemingly of their own accord. Standing in the doorway was a big, grim-like black dog, and a huge dark grey wolf. The most stunning feature of the wolf wasn't its size, but the brightest green eyes. Looking into those eyes made you feel like you're soul itself was being pierced in their gaze. It was almost too much for the students, and even the staff themselves when the animals transformed. Standing in their place were two hooded men. Most startling about the men was the aura they gave off, almost as if they radiated pure power. The aura gradually disappeared as the enchanted ceiling cleared to sunny weather, and after several moments of stunned silence the men slowly pulled off their hoods.

"Well Sirius, I do believe this is the longest I've seen Ron sit at a table and no ask about food."

"As observant as always Harry. I also don't recall ever seeing Ms. Granger going this long without asking a question."

"I really don't get what's wrong with them, Padfoot. It's almost like they've seen a pair of ghosts."

This was too much for the men, they fell into a fit of laughter. So amused at themselves they didn't notice the pair of blurs before they were tackled by two separate Molly Weasley-esque hugs.

"Can't breathe!" squeaked out Harry.

"Losing feeling!" added Sirius.

Ginny and Hermione lessened the pressure, but would not relinquish their hold on the two. Ron had managed to come up to Harry's side, and after sharing a glance, pulled Harry into a back-slapping manly hug. His eyes were slightly misted, a definite contrast to the girls' tear-streaked faces.

"What happened, Harry?" asked the always inquisitive Hermione. "We all thought we had lost you. And you too, Sirius."

"Well..." Harry started while looking up towards the Head table. "That is a conversation that should take place in private."

Dumbledore seemed to agree.

"Lets take this to my office, Harry. For the rest of you , tuck in."

The feast appeared for the students as the reunited Trio plus Ginny, Sirius, and Dumbledore made their way up to the Headmaster's office. It was almost too much for Harry to believe Ron was missing out on food.

They reached the stone gargoyle and followed Dumbledore up the steps. Ginny held a vice-grip on his arm all the way up, half-convinced if she were to let go Harry would not really be there. He hadn't realize how hard this had been on his friends, not with so much other stuff going on.

"I'd suggest everyone finding a comfortable seat, this is a long story." stated Sirius.

Harry conjured a comfy-looking couch, to Hermione's amazement. They all found a seat and faced the two returnee's.

"I'll start then, shall I?" muttered Harry to Sirius. "I guess the last any of you saw of me was me disappearing into the Veil. And of course you all assumed I was dead. Which in all actuality is true, I was in fact dead."

A gasp came from Hermione, who clenched Ron's arm a little tighter.

"Sirius and I reunited on the other side, in spirit form I guess you could say."

"Almost frightened me to death when I saw him, until I realized I couldn't die if I was already dead."

They two shared a chuckle at this.

"We were greeted by two people I never thought I'd see again...my parents. They were shocked to see us both. Shocked because according to them, it wasn't the time yet. For either of us. After getting over the initial surprise, we had to figure out what to do. They summoned someone to come talk to us, and it turned out to be one of my earlier ancestors, Godric Gryffindor."

"Godric was very informative. It turns out to come back, we had to pass through a portal and figure out a way through the obstacles contained within. The task is said to be impossible, which is why no one had ever returned before." added Sirius.

"If its said to be impossible, how are you here?" asked Hermione.

"That, my dear, is all thanks to Golden Boy over here."

"Stop with that, you mangy mutt." muttered Harry as Sirius continued.

"We had to wait for the portal to open, which meant a five year wait in their time. Here, it would have only been about a month and a half. Many things were discovered during that time. Such as the contents of the prophecy you had the Order protecting, Albus. But more importantly, we also discovered the power of the Boy-Who-Lived."

Looks of astonishment were on all of their faces, and the twinkling in Albus' eyes seemed to grow. He had a look of amusement on his face.

"The power has finally been unlocked." the Headmaster stated.

"Yes, and it wasn't easy." Harry said. " Much of my time there was spent training, physical and magical. My Dad and others could be real slave drivers. I don't know how he had the time for him and Sirius to pull half the stunts they did the way he was working me. I spent a lot of time learning how to control this power, and as much knowledge as I could. But it all paid off in the end."

"I can see that it did."

Appraising him up and down as if he were a piece of meat, Ginny's comment served to break the tension that had grown in the room. And yet wrong she was not. Harry had definitely filled out, no longer the scrawny boy he had been. Long black hair hung loose on his head. On his body muscle was clearly defined, more lean and ripped then bulky, and it was hard to name anyone that seemed to be in the kind of physical shape he was. No longer did the term "boy" fit him, he really had become a man. And yet despite the physical change, Ginny could still see in his eyes all the emotional baggage he was carrying. Beneath the piercing gaze, the mental anguish was still easy for her to spot. Almost as if he caught on, Harry quickly averted his gaze.

"To sum it up, the time came for us to attempt to pass through the portal. Defying the impossible, we made it. Returning back to our time, we chose to remain hidden and collect ourselves. We made our way to Potter Mansion, the home of my parents before they hid away at Godric's Hollow. We've been there for the last month, preparing ourselves for when we had to make our eventual return to 'the Land of the Living'. And now here we are." Finished up Harry.

"I am truly amazed, Harry. Let me say once again how proud I am of you." Dumbledore said.

"Albus, we've had a long day. Let Harry go up to the dorms. I'll stay and fill in the finer details." said Sirius.

"_Thanks Padfoot." _Harry thought to Sirius.

"_Don't mention it. I'm used to dealing with the old man, and know to keep some details private. Go, enjoy being back in the company of friends."_

"Well then, off we go." And with that, Harry got up and made his way out. Ginny still stayed attached to his side. They had just passed on the gargoyle when Hermione suddenly rounded on him.

"Harry James Potter! Don't you ever do anything like that again. Do you know what you put us through! You ever pull a stunt like that again, you better stay dead because I'll kill you myself!" He couldn't help but laugh.

"I missed you too Hermione. All of you. Even you Ron and you Ginny."

Harry fell asleep that night with only one thought.

"It's good to be back."

A/N : While the events of my story are already planned out, I have left some squiggle room to fit in any changes, and am always open to good ideas.


	3. Loss of Faith

A/N: This chapter has been rewritten at least a dozen times. I finally figured out a way to get out what I wanted to get out without revealing too much, yet still placed hints. There is a lot more to come, and hope you'll stick with it, cause while it maybe starting off a bit slow, we're going to be in for one hell of a ride.

_**Chapter III: Loss of Faith**_

_Dumbledore's Office..._

Sirius and Dumbledore faced off on either side of the desk. Through their bond, Sirius could tell Harry had made it to bed. '_Good, at least one of us is in for a peaceful night' _he thought to himself. .

Albus sank back into his chair and fixed his gaze on his former student.

"So, you've been back for a month now and never once thought to report to me? You never thought to come to Grimmauld Place and let us know you and Harry were alive? How could you be so irresponsible with Harry?"

Albus was silenced abruptly by Sirius standing and slamming his fist onto the desk.

"Stop right there before you make yourself sound more foolish old man. Don't you dare even imply that I've been irresponsible with Harry. The fuckin nerve! Who was irresponsible when they decided to subject him to a childhood of abuse? Who was irresponsible when they decided to withhold important information from him, information he damn well needed to know? For Christ's sake Albus, he deserved to know what this war is all about. He needed to know why Voldemort was so adamant about coming after him. And who was the only one that could have told him? Not me, I couldn't do anything. You had your way and kept me out of sight in that miserable house. Why would I voluntarily return to that fuckin place and submit myself to house arrest?" It was obvious Sirius was only getting started.

"When Harry told you about us crossing over, he mentioned that we were greeted by his parents. James, Lily and I spent a lot of time together while Harry was training, catching up on the fifteen years we had been apart. And you'll never believe how stunned they were when they learned who had raised Harry. And you'll never believe how stunned I was when I learned I was meant to be the one to get Harry if anything happened to them. Twelve years you cost me. If Harry had been brought to me, I'd have never gone after Peter, and therefore had no reason to go to Azkaban. You cost me twelve years of my life, and twelve years with my godson. That is time I will never get back. So tell me, why would I subject both myself and Harry to that kind of treatment again.

Albus took a moment before replying. It was obvious the balance of power was starting to tilt out of his favor. He could only hope to swing it back his way.

"It was all for the greater good. Harry needed hiding and protecting. There was no safer place than with the Dursleys."

"Safe my ass. Did Harry ever tell you what went on in that god-forsaken place? Ten years of constant physical and emotional abuse. Beatings were a regular occurrence, starvation was commonplace. Fuck Albus, they made him live in a bloody cupboard under the stairs! Open your eyes. Ten years and you never thought to check up on him. How could that possibly be considered safe?"

"An old man's mistake. Harry bore it well, taking his experience to become who he is today. However, there shall be no more of that. When Harry returns to the Dursleys, proper precautions will be put into place, frequent check-ins from Order members...

"You can stop right there. Harry is not going back."

Albus was starting to feel unsettled. This conversation was not going the way he had expected it to. He couldn't let Sirius ruin the only real hope the wizarding world had.

"But he must. Only at Privet Drive are the wards firmly enough in place to protect him outside of Hogwarts."

"Wrong again Albus. He mustn't do anything except what he chooses to do. You've lost your right to tell Harry what to do. Harry will go where he chooses to go, and stay where he wants to stay. I really don't think there's there's a single person now in any sort of position to tell Harry what to do"

Dumbledore was getting desperate. He had to keep Harry protected until the time was right.

"Well, that is one thing that can be corrected shortly. One owl to the Ministry, and I shall become Harry's guardian until he comes of age."

Sirius had a smirk on his face.

"You think you can just take guardianship of Harry away from me?"

"I really don't see any difficulty, seeing as you're still a convict on the run."

The young man couldn't hold it any longer, and just laughed in the Headmaster's face.

"You're a real bastard, Albus. I almost wish you could actually do that just so I could see what Harry does to you when he finds out. However, it's my duty to inform you of a little snare to your plan. Simply, Harry does not have a guardian. He was legally emancipated shortly after our return."

The twinkling in Albus' eyes had disappeared.

"I see its finally sunk in. You're goal all along was to keep Harry safe and hidden away until you unleashed him on that monster. Yet you never realized that Harry was always in danger. Almost every year he's been at Hogwarts, under your supervision, Harry has been attacked by one form of Voldemort or another. Its safe to say Harry has lost faith in you. Hell, the only reason he's come back to school was because I talked him into it. He needs to live, see what its like to be a normal kid for once. Though after what he's been through there's nothing normal about him. Now, I do believe this conversation has reached its conclusion. I'm off to be with my godson."

Without waiting for a dismissal Sirius changed into Padfoot and left the office. Making his way to Gryffindor Tower, woke Harry up.

'_Get your lazy ass up and let me in_!" he screamed through their bond.

'_You flea bitten mutt. I'd just fallen asleep_.'

Harry walked down and opened the portrait for Sirius to enter.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked.

"About as well as can be expected. He still thought he could control you, I smashed the thought. Doesn't mean he won't still try though."

"Let him." said Harry. "We both have more tricks up our sleeves. Lets get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Harry returned to his dorm and laid down. Sirius changed into Padfoot and curled up next to his bed. They both couldn't help but think the same thought.

'_This is going to be an interesting year_.'

As dawn came, Harry and Sirius were already getting up.

"Remind me again, why are we getting up so early?" Sirius had never really been a morning person.

"Simple. Training. I can't slack off just because I'm back at school. I need to keep up my running program, and I can't really do that inside. The earlier we go, the fewer questions I have to deal with. Luckily the other aspects I can probably do in the Room of Requirement."

Harry changed into workout clothes and they made their way down to the entrance hall and out the door. Turning on his muggle music player, one of his many department store purchases, Harry set off at a steady jog around the school grounds. Sirius was in his dog form keeping pace. It was the only way he could keep up with Harry.

Two hours later, the two made their way back to the dorm to shower and change. Sirius had decided to leave the castle and return to the Potter Estate. Harry met up with Ron and Hermione, who waited for him at the bottom of the dorm stairway.

"Hey guys." Harry greeted.

Hermione gave him a hug. Ron just beamed.

"I'm not going anywhere you know." stated Harry as they made their way to the Great Hall.

"I know, but this past couple months have been so hard, we really thought we had lost you. I'm just so glad you're back." As she said this, Hermione reached out and squeezed his arm, as if to confirm he really was there.

They ate their breakfast and was ready when McGonagall came around with the schedules.

"Mr. Potter, it seems like once again you've defied the odds and came back to us. I do believe I have something that belongs to you." As she said this she brought the arm she had been hiding behind her back around and was clutching his Firebolt. "The ban has been lifted with the removal of that dreaded woman. There shall be no excuse for the Quidditch Cup not sitting in my office this time next year." smirking, she walked away to continue her rounds.

"I hope you're not mad, but they made me captain." Ron said around a mouthful of food. "Seeing as everyone all thought you were gone... I got the badge over the summer."

That's really good for you Ron. No one thinks Quidditch like you, and I honestly fancy our chances more with you leading us. Besides, I'd prefer not having more responsibility than necessary. Which reminds me, I need to talk to you. After dinner, meet me in the Room of Requirements."

"What about?"

"Later. And bring Ginny, Neville, and Luna. After the end of last year, they deserve to be included. Now lets go, hate to be late to the first class of the year. Professor Sprout can be a bit grouchy in the morning."

With a chuckle they headed to the greenhouses, all the way Hermione shooting inquisitive glances at Harry.


	4. Trust

A/N: This is a pretty long chapter, but serves a purpose. This is the chapter that sets the direction the story is going to go in. Of course it doesn't reveal everything, there'd be no fun for me if I told you everything right off the bat.

**_Chapter IV : Trust..._**

Ron and Hermione made their way to the Great Hall for dinner. Harry had separated from them after reminding them to meet him at the Room of Requirement later. They were tempted just to skip dinner so they'd hear what he had to say sooner, but knew they had to find the other three. They found a seat and called Ginny and Neville to join them.

"Hey you two. Harry wants us to meet him after dinner." said Ron.

"What about?" asked Ginny.

"I've been trying to figure that out all day, but he wouldn't say. After everything that has happened I imagine it has to be important." Hermione stated. "That reminds me, he wants Luna to come too.

Neville volunteered to bring her. They were all eager to know what Harry needed to talk about, so it became a competition to see who could finish first. Ron won, even after eating almost double what everyone else did. Neville retrieved Luna and they headed up to the seventh floor.

Entering the room, they weren't prepared for the sight that greeted them. In the center of the room was Harry, surrounded by ten life-like simulators. They were firing curses and Harry was swiftly evading them all, sidestepping several just to launch himself into a flip over two more. The curses seemed to be a mix of green and red, but with them being silently cast Hermione couldn't tell what they were.

Harry wasn't returning fire, as his wand was resting on a table on the far side of the room. However it didn't even seem like he needed it, he was dodging the curses and jinxes with ease, almost as if he could have kept going all night without getting hit once. It wasn't until a dodged curse seemed to impact on a shield a foot away from Neville's face did Harry stop the exercise.

"Bloody 'ell Harry, that was incredible. They weren't even getting close!" exclaimed Ron.

Harry just shrugged.

"They got closer than I liked." was all he said.

"What were the curses they were using?" the ever-curious Hermione just had to know.

"The red ones represented the Cruciatus, the green Avada."

"So if that one hadn't hit the shield, we'd be figuratively dead or tortured.

"It wouldn't have hit you. I sensed you as soon as you walked in and put that shield in place." stated Harry.

How is that possible? Your wand is over there?" Hermione was confused.

"That's what I need to talk to you about. Let's get comfy."

Harry waved his hand and the simulators disappeared. In their place were three long couches facing a chair. Harry waved his hand again and his training clothes changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He sat in the chair and called out.

"Dobby."

The house-elf popped in carrying a tray full of bottles of butterbeer.

"Master Harry calls and I come sir. I bring refreshments for you and your friends, just like the Great Harry Potter asks of Dobby." He almost dropped the tray with all of his bouncing around. Excited was an understatement.

Each of them took one, then he sat the tray down on a side table.

"If yous be needing anything else just call, unworthy Dobby is always ready to serve Master Harry and his gracious friends." and with that popped out of the room again.

"What's Dobby doing out of the kitchen?" asked Ron.

"Simple. Dobby doesn't work at Hogwarts anymore. He now has a new master. Winky also."

"Who does he work for? I can't see Dobby agreeing to work for anyone besides..." Comprehension dawned on Hermione's face. "Dobby and Winky work for you now, don't they? How could you, Harry? After everything we've been through with S.P.E.W."

"Calm down Hermione. They both receive pay, and can take off any days they choose. I finally caved and let Dobby work for me simply cause I needed help. I have a new place to live outside of school, and its just too big for Sirius and I to keep up with. We needed help, so I called in the only help I trust."

"What do you mean, a new place to live? What about the Dursleys, and Grimmauld Place" It was Ron's turn to look confused.

"I'm never going back to either of those places. Since my return I've moved back into what was known as the Potter Estate. It's literally a mansion surrounded by acres of land. No one knows its location, as it is Unplottable and protected by the Fidelus charm, with the secret-keeper being someone I trust implicitly. Myself."

"What will Dumbledore have to say about this?" Hermione was always concerned about what the authority figures thought.

"Honestly, I don't give a rat's ass what he has to say."

"How could you say that? He's Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of our time, the leader of the Order."

"Right now that means jack shit to me. In my book he's nothing but a lying manipulator. Listen, I asked you all to come here because out of the entire wizarding world, you five plus three others represent the only people I trust. You have all earned that trust. Ron, Hermione, you two have been by my side ever since I started at Hogwarts and never left it. Ginny, Neville, Luna, you three joined them in that category after the Ministry fiasco. All five of you came with me to rescue Sirius, and even though it turned out to be a trap you never gave up. I trust you all with my life, and I want you to know I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe."

"Harry, our safety isn't your responsibility. We all look out for each other You've done more than enough with the D.A." Ginny reassured him.

Harry let out a sarcastic chuckle.

"Well, that's where you're wrong. It is my responsibility. The whole wizarding world's safety is my duty. I think its time I filled you in on what happened when Sirius and I crossed over." Leaning back into his seat, he prepared for the telling of his story.

"It started off how Sirius said, I caught up to him and scared the shit out of him. And we were greeted by my parents. They were more shocked then we were, seeing as how they hadn't been expecting us yet. After explaining what had happened, we settled down and tried figuring out what to do. It was my mum's idea to find one of the Elder's, and the one that came was Godric Gryffindor. He was stunned too, he said he had never seen such determination to bring back a loved one. Godric explained about the way to come back, and impossible as it seemed, we had to try. While waiting for the right time, which seemed so far away, I was given extra training."

"You wouldn't believe some of the people who trained me. Godric started out, and eventually he brought in four other people. Salazar, Helga, and Rowena.

"The four founders!" squealed Hermione.

"Yes. I learned many things from them. I didn't think I could learn anymore until the last teacher came, Merlin himself. Except he wasn't really there to train me. He did something different, he unlocked my raw potential. It overwhelmed me at first. Took me nearly a week to come to. When I awoke, I could feel the difference. My power has grown considerably, and still continues to grow. Next time I meet Voldemort, things will be a bit more even."

"How about we work on avoiding those kind of situations." Ginny couldn't help but be nervous at the thought of Harry facing that monster again.

"I wish I had a choice." With that Harry stood up and began to pace.

Luna, who had been gazing off in the distance, suddenly made eye contact with Harry.

"The prophecy."

"What about the prophecy? It was destroyed when it slipped out my torn pocket. No one could hear it over the chaos going on." said Neville.

"Ah, so that's what happened to it. I kinda didn't stick around for the ending." Another sarcastic chuckle. "But yes, Luna is right. I am referring to the prophecy. The orb that broke was just a copy." Closing his eyes, Harry began to recite something memory.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives"_

The reactions he got were just as he expected. Neville and Ron both looked confused. Hermione understood right away and was crying openly. Ginny had a calm look on her face, but had a tear slipping from the corner of her eye.

"So that means that only you can kill him. It has to be you. Oh Harry!" Hermione said as she launched into him and wrapped him up tight.

Ron stood up and locked eyes with him over Hermione's shoulder.

"I'm with you, mate. You're not doing this alone."

Harry was warmed by Ron's loyalty. Never once did he doubt his friends.

"Neville, there was another reason I wanted you to hear that. The prophecy almost didn't apply to me, there was one other it could have fitted."

"Me? You're joking, right?"

"I'm afraid not. Both of our parents had defied Voldemort three times, and we were born only hours apart. It was Voldemort's choice as to which one of us to come after. I believe its only because I'm a half-blood, like him, that made me his choice."

"We all would have been screwed then. There's no way I could stand up to him."

"You sell yourself short. Not to put down the others, but in the Department of Mysteries, you were the only one left standing by my side. Which brings me to something else I need to talk to you about." Harry went back to his seat and leaned forward, thinking about what to say next.

"I no longer have faith in Dumbledore to act in our best interests. Sirius and my parents spent a lot of time together while I was training. I wasn't going to miss this chance to get to know my parents, so I also spent a lot of time with them. It was during one of our talks that the contents of the prophecy was given to me. He had plenty of chances to inform me about this prophecy but didn't. He just hoped that he could string me along, keeping me under his watch and learn at his pace, waiting until he could unleash me on Voldemort and hope for the best."

"Did you know that I wasn't meant to end up with the Dursleys? In the event of something happening to my parents, I was supposed to stay with Sirius, under their will he is my guardian. Dumbledore had other ideas, and had me taken to Privet Drive. I had to endure ten years of abuse, and do every summer that I go back there."

"I've decided to take my life into my own hands. As of this summer, I'm legally emancipated. I don't have a guardian, I can choose to live my life as I see fit. Potter Estate was revealed to me by my parents, and the only people that can find it are people I choose to. The Estate has everything I need, a dueling room, potions lab, plenty of spare rooms, and yes Ron, even a Quidditch pitch."

He paused to take a breath, then took the plunge."

"I'm now asking for your help. I've decided that I'm sick and tired of waiting around to be attacked. From now on, I'm no longer going to stick to being reactionary. I'm taking the fight to Voldemort and his followers. The longer I sit around, even more innocent people could be hurt or killed. Only I can't do it all on my own. Sirius is with me, and he's currently reuniting with several others to join us."

"I will be bringing back the D.A. this year, but I do believe a name change is in order. If you all agree to help, we'll have private sessions and I'll train you all myself. I can teach you many things, things you'll never learn in some classroom, or from Dumbledore."

Hermione wasn't completely sold on the idea.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do? We're pretty much going behind Dumbledore's back."

"What choice do we have? Who was it left to when it came time to protect the Sorcerer's Stone? Who were the ones that went into the chamber after Ginny? Where was Dumbledore when I was taken to the graveyard and barely escaped with my life? That's not Dumbledore's name on the prophecy. In the end it all comes down to me. But I can't do it alone."

Ron stood and clapped his hand onto Harry's shoulder.

"I told you before, and I'll say it again. I'm with you mate. You're not going to do it alone. And I'll be there watching your back every step of the way."

Hermione finally seemed swayed.

"Someone's got to keep you two from screwing up too badly." she said with a smile.

"I'm in. I may not be as skilled or as brave as the rest of you, but I want to be there. I want to help make a difference."

"You already have, Nev." Harry said as he swung his gaze to the two remaining ladies.

"This will be a bit more exciting then hunting down Blibbering Humdingers with Daddy. I want to be a part of this adventure." Luna said as if they were planning out a nice picnic.

Ginny seemed to think for a minute. She looked at Harry.

"Like Ron said, you won't do this alone. Sign me up."

Harry let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"I'm really glad to hear that. Everyone, keep what we talked about tonight a secret. Now, its almost curfew, and everyone needs to get to bed."

"What?" spluttered Ron. "Bed? You're crazy mate, its still early!"

"No Ron, early is what time we'll be meeting in the morning. Dawn to be precise. Training begins tomorrow. Have a good night."

He chuckled at the sight of Ron gaping as he walked out of the room and made his way up to the common room. He was almost out of earshot when he heard Ron call him something sounding like a "bleedin slave driver!" which was followed almost immediately by the sound of Hermione's hand connecting with the back of Ron's head.

The next week passed in a blur for the six students. Up at dawn each morning, they all did shorter versions of Harry's jog, seeing as none of them were even close to his level. Classes came next, and after dinner every night they met in the Room of Requirement to review and learn new jinxes and curses. Harry was holding off on calling up the D.A., now renamed the GL, or Guardians of Light, thanks to Hermione. He wanted to make some headway with their private sessions first.

Harry could sense Dumbledore keeping watch over him during meals, but made sure to avoid meeting his gaze lest he try to read his mind. Harry was actually looking forward to unleashing that surprise. Dumbledore had no way of knowing how developed his Occlumency and even his Legilimency had become.

Saturday rolled around and Harry let them off with only a light jog seeing as Ron Ginny and he had Quidditch tryouts at noon. After changing in their dorm, Harry stopped Ron before he could go to the common room.

"Ron, wait a minute." called out Harry.

"What is it mate? I wanna hurry up and get down to the fields, check out conditions."

"Oh, this will be worth it. Here, I want you to have this." As he said that, he pulled out an object from his trunk and enlarged it. It was a practically brand-new Firebolt, just like his own. Ron was speechless.

"When I came back, I had no idea what happened to my broom. So I treated myself to another one. Seeing as I'm more comfortable with my old one, and I can't really ride two brooms during a match, I want you to have this one."

"Harry, I can't accept this. These things cost a bloody fortune!" he flinched when he said that, half-expecting Hermione to swoop in and slap him one. He wasn't comfortable taking the gift from Harry, he didn't like feeling like a charity case. He was happy with his family's situation in life. Harry expected this and knew how to get him to accept.

"Well then, I guess you'll be the only one without one. I've got five more for the rest of the team. When I decided I would return to school, I also decided I'd do whatever I could to see Gryffindor wins the Quidditch cup. I do believe the salesman bought himself a nice cottage with the commission from me." he said with a laugh.

"Well, as it is in the team's best interests!" Ron said as he lovingly took it out of Harry's hand and caressed the smooth handle. He couldn't resist the happy feelings anymore and pulled Harry into a massive bear hug before running down to show off his new broom to the rest of the entire Gryffindor House. Harry followed in his wake, smiling at his friends exuberance.


	5. Public Opinion

**Chapter V: Public Opinion...**

_Tryouts seemed to be strictly a formality. Ginny had switched back to chaser with Harry's return, and was joined by the Creevey brothers as the other chasers. The two had a bond that had them working on an level not shared by most, which was deadly with Ginny added into the mix. The beater positions were taken by two fourth years. Even though they were no Fred and George Weasley they were clearly the best of the lot. No one bothered trying to challenge Harry for the seeker position. Once it was clear who had made the team and the others were sent on their way, Harry brought out his surprises._

"_I feel this is going to be a great team this year. Yet, I think we're missing a slight edge. Hopefully I can correct that...__**ACCIO!"**_

With his summoning spell, five Firebolts came zooming out of the locker room and to the waiting team. Stunned was an understatement. The shocked silence was broken by Ginny letting out a whoop before jumping on hers and taking off in a sudden burst of acceleration. Three seconds later the others were hot on her heels.

The practice was spent everyone just getting accustomed to the top of the line equipment. Gryffindor's chances were looking excellent. After an hour Ron called things to an end, and they all made their way back up to the castle. As Harry passed through the wooden doors, he felt Sirius open their connection.

'_Hey you mutt, what have you been up to? Slackin off like usual?_' Harry teased.

'_You're fucking hilarious, anyone ever tell you that? Forget saving the world, just go straight to stand-up comedy and they'll all die laughing. I'm serious._'

'_I know you're Sirius_.'

'_Oh haha. Could you be any more original? And by original I mean the complete opposite, just in case your dim mind can't comprehend sarcasm._'

"_Anyways, what's going on? Everything still quiet on the outside?_'

'_So far. I need you to meet me in the Shrieking Shack at midnight tonight. Some stuff needs to be taken care of and I need your assistance._'

'_Midnight? I'll be there_.'

Focusing back to what he was doing, Harry noticed Ron looking at him funny.

"What?"

"You alright, mate? You just kind of spaced out there for a moment. Is your scar hurting?"

"The opposite actually." Harry said, then looked around to make sure no one else was in earshot. "After going through what we did together, obviously Sirius and I have grown a lot closer. When we returned, we realized that our bond had gotten to the point where we can communicate telepathically. That's what just happened. He needed to ask something of me. Speaking of which, tonight you and I are going to the Shrieking Shack."

"Alright, but what if we get caught?"

"Ron, when did you start caring about rules?"

"Sorry, I guess I just had a Hermione moment." He chuckled. "The others coming?"

"We'll bring Neville. I'd hate to disturb the girls' beauty sleep." They both shared a laugh and headed up to the Room of Requirement.

All too soon it was 11:45 and the three boys were leaving through the portrait. Ron and Neville were under Harry's invisibility cloak, while Harry had cast a disillusionment charm on himself. The charm was so powerful he couldn't even see himself. The only two only knew where he was because they had the Marauders Map. Making their way to the statue of the humpbacked witch they entered the secret passage to Hogsmeade. Slipping out of Honeydukes, they made the short trek to the Shrieking Shack. Harry cancelled his charm, and the other two slipped the cloak off and they opened the old, creaking door.

Upon entering, Neville finally asked the question that had been bugging him since he learned of their destination.

"Umm guys...Isn't this place supposed to be haunted?"

"Yes." answered a disembodied voice from right behind them. Ron and Neville jumped, Harry was only surprised at who the voice belonged to, having sensed the presence beforehand.

"Remus!"

"Hey, Cub. Good to see you." The two men exchanged a back-slapping hug.

"No hey for me? I sure feel the love around here." Tonks chimed in as she came in from one of the passageways.

"Wotcher' Tonks." Harry greeted her with a hug.

"Its great to see you again. And if you pull another stunt like that, there'll be hell to pay. You had me so worried!" she said as she jokingly moved to throttle him.

"Glad to see we've got the reunion out of the way, now its time to talk business, I'm afraid." said Sirius as he entered the room.

"What have you got so far?" asked Harry, immediately taking charge.

"I've informed several key people, including Mooney and my dear cousin here, about our plans and what brought them about. They're all in agreement, and in fact two new members shall be joining us shortly. While we wait, tell me, how's everything back at school?"

Harry reflected for a moment.

"So far I've been completely open with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. They deserve my complete trust. During the week I'll be calling the D.A. together for our first meeting, and that's when they'll be informed of some of the most notable changes. I think the biggest change they'll have to get used to will be the name change. I'm not going to have anything to do with any "army" belonging to that old fool. Hermione came up with a new name and I like it. From now on we're going to known as the Guardians of Light." Nods of approval came from the adults. "I'll explain to them why some of the changes have to be made without revealing too much. But I'm not going to sugarcoat the danger we'll be in. It'll be strictly volunteer."

"So far Dumbledore hasn't bugged me too much, but its only a matter of time before he tries interfering. So that's why for the GL meetings I'm planning on having someone else run them. The other five will rotate, while I'll be mainly a figurehead. I can't have too much information about my powers slip out, even unintentionally. I'll continue to train the others in our private sessions."

Ron and Neville were surprised at this. Harry hadn't told them about his new plans for the GL, and they were a little awed at the faith he showed in them. Three cracks interrupted their thoughts.

"Good, they're here." Going to the door, Sirius shouted a question through the door.

"What is the password to the Marauder's Map?"

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." came the reply, and Sirius swung open the door. In came Fred and George Weasley, followed by Harry's old quidditch captain, Oliver Wood.

"Fred, George, nice to see you again. Who's the friend?" Sirius hadn't been expecting him.

"My name's Oliver Wood. I've been back in London while on a break from Quidditch. I ran into Fred and George, and after much convincing that I was trustworthy, filled me in on what's going on. I want to help."

"I vouch for him." Harry added. He clearly knew that for them to stand a chance numbers had to keep increasing.

"Good enough for me. Harry, we need to go to Potter Estate, and you're the only one that can let the others in."

"Alright. Here we go." He conjured a long piece of rope and had everyone present grab a hold. Tapping it, he gave the portkey incantation "PORTUS". The rope glowed blue for a second, and then came the familiar feeling of a tug behind the navel.

They were deposited on a long driveway lined with trees. Picking themselves up from the ground, they were stunned by the sight in front of them. An enormous house, if you could even call it simply a house, dominated the view. Three separate wings were visible, and a garage that seemed like it could fit over ten cars sat off to the side. Still in awe, they followed Harry into the house.

"The dining room is down that hallway, I've got to take care of something first." Harry directed, and split off from the others.

They made their way to the large room, and took seats around the table, and couldn't help but be overwhelmed at the grand scale of the place. Dobby popped into the room bearing drinks, and placed them onto the table before disappearing again.

Harry came into the room and placed a folder onto the table before grabbing a butterbeer for himself..

"As you can see, Harry, I've been working on recruiting for us. Remus has his contacts with the shady side of things, and Tonks brings several Auror contacts as well as training for the recruits not quite up to the level we need them to be at." At the mentions, Remus and Tonks nodded their heads in acknowledgement. "After some thought, I realized that as an advantage, we need to be able to pull out more surprises than the other side. Which led me to these two hooligans."

With that, the twins stood up and made deep bows and thanked Sirius for his flattering words.

"Weasley Wizard Wheezes has rapidly become known as the top joke shop around. These two have agreed, using some of the facilities located here, to turn some of the inventory and gear them towards warfare, while also coming up with new ideas."

"That sounds great. I've had Dobby add all of you to the access list, and the Floo has been added to the shop, so we can use that as an access point to Diagon Alley when needed. Sirius will show you around, where to set up and what equipment we have available. Sirius and I have combined our fortunes, so if you need anything fund wise, talk to him and we can set something up. I'm sure we can find a suitable job for you, Oliver. You're welcome to stay here with the others."

"Appreciate that, Harry."

"I'm afraid there's one thing I must ask of all of you." Opening the folder, he slipped pieces of parchments to the newcomers. "I need you to sign secrecy oaths. If anything gets out about what we're planning, we'll be sunk. As much as I trust you all, these are dark times, and we can't afford to take any chances."

Nodding their heads, they signed without arguing.

"Great. Now that that's out of the way, we've got to be getting back to school before someone notices we're missing." With hugs and handshakes all around, the three portkeyed back to the Shack and returned to school.

The next day was Sunday, so Harry gave them a day off from training. He and Hermione worked on a list of the old members of the D.A. that they felt was worth bringing into the new Guardians, then Hermione set the coin for that Wednesday.

Harry spent the time mixing between losing to Ron at chess and listening to Hermione and Neville reviewing a Herbology book borrowed from Professor Sprout. It felt great to relax every once in a while.

The next morning, Harry had completed his jog after everyone else, having run longer. he was one of the last few to make his way into the Great Hall for breakfast. He could tell something was off immediately upon entering and taking a seat next to Ginny. It seemed like almost everyone was shooting him sideways glances from around the hall. What confirmed it was the apprehensive look on Hermione's face and Ginny patting his hand reassuringly.

"What's wrong? Have there been attacks?" Harry worriedly asked.

"No, no attacks reported. Its just, well... I think its better if you just read it for yourself." Hermione said as she passed over that mornings Daily Prophet.

Harry glanced down to see a picture of him standing with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, which seemed to have been taken during his stay in Diagon Alley before third year started. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he began to read.

_**Boy-Who-Lived Throws Support Behind Minister...**_

_Harry Potter, the defeater of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named 13 years ago, took his chance this summer to give his vote of confidence behind Minister Cornelius Fudge. On a trip through Diagon Alley, Mr. Potter was asked for a comment on the current administration. After thinking hard, he gave us the opinion that so far the Ministry had been doing a bang-up job, and that he couldn't wait for the Minister to guide us through these dark times._

_When reached for a reaction, Minister Fudge had this to offer "Harry makes me feel honored to say those kind words. I've always felt the boy looked up to me, and it does an old man good knowing I've made him proud. I'll be sure to express this upon him at the next of several get-togethers we've had."..._

"That's it!" Harry cried out as he slammed a fist onto the table. He didn't bother finishing the article. Getting up from the Gryffindor table, he made his way over to where the Ravenclaws were sitting, Luna specifically. They shared a hurried whispered conversation then Harry straightened up.

"Mr. Potter, I would suggest not doing anything rash." Dumbledore called out from his seat at the Head table.

"Me? Rash? Never!" He replied with a look of disbelief on his face.

He looked back at his friends, gave them a smirk and a wink, and promptly apparated from the Great Hall. To say everyone was shocked was an understatement, especially Hermione.

"Hmm...'Apparition is not possible within the grounds of Hogwarts' she says." Ron said, amused at her reaction and the fact that for once Hermione was proven wrong by a book.

Harry's first destination was not in fact the Ministry as everyone thought, but to a house shaped like a great black cylinder. It was the Lovegood residence, which he had gotten the location of in his brief conversation with Luna. He knocked on the door and was greeted by Mr. Lovegood.

"Harry, what a surprise to see you here. Are the Slimpbows causing trouble in the forest?"

Not having a clue what a Slimpbow was, Harry just ignored it.

"Mr. Lovegood, I'm here to offer you a very profitable opportunity for the Quibbler. No doubt you've seen the article from Fudge in today's Prophet. Well, I am currently on my way to have a little chat with Minister Fudge, and was wondering if you could call up some fellow trusted reporters and meet me at the Ministry?"

"I am honored, and more than a little excited to be in on this. Shall we be traveling together, or shall I meet you there?"

"Could we use your Floo?"

"Sure thing, its right this way."

Harry entered the strange looking house, and was not surprised to see that the inside was of equal unnaturalness. Strangely drawn creatures sat in the paintings on three of the walls, while the fourth was dedicated to a woman Harry guessed to be Luna's deceased mother.

"Here you go, lad." Xenophilius Lovegood handed over a hand-made pot that was filled with Floo powder. "The fireplace is just in the other room."

Harry threw in the powder, entered the green flames, and with a shout of "Ministry of Magic" he was on his way. Stepping out at the correct fireplace, he took off with a stride to the elevators, and Luna's father veered off to round up some of his fellow journalist companions. Harry barely noticed and passed through the security checkpoint as if it wasn't there.

"Oi, you! Need to check your wand!".

Harry simply gave the man a blazing glare as he swept the hair from his forehead to reveal his scar. After giving a second for it to sink in, he turned away from the guard and made his way to the lifts and up to Level One. Leaving the lift, he walked down the corridor to the waiting area for the Minister's office. With a sweep of his hand, the doors opened in front of him, and the secretary was caught off guard.

"Minister Fudge, please." As he made his request he heard the lifts opening and felt Mr. Lovegood's presence coming towards him along with three others.

"The Minister is currently busy."

"Well then, I'm about to make him unbusy." Before the witch could stop him, he marched through the doors.

"You and you, out." he stated as he gestured to the two guests seated in chairs.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" one of them angrily snarled.

"Do I look like a give a flying fuck who you are? Hit the bricks or I'll make you." Despite his brave words a few seconds before, the man saw by the look on Harry's face that he was completely serious, leading to he and his companion making a very quick exit.

"Now what is the meaning of this?" sputtered Fudge. And that was the last word he got in.

"I've had it with your incompetence and lies. What could make you possibly think that I would support you or anything to do with your administration! For far too long, you and your puppet the Daily Prophet have slammed me with lies and unfounded accusations. You've dragged my name through the dirt, and now that people are catching on to what a piss-poor job you're doing, you're hoping to sway public opinion back to your side by aligning yourself with "the Boy-Who-Lived."

"You and I have never been buddy-buddy, as you like to think. For a year both myself and Albus Dumbledore told you repeatedly Voldemort had returned. What did we get for trying to warn the Wizarding world? Accusations of being mad, and power-hungry, and whatever else you and your lackeys could think to throw at us. We had your pet Umbitch take over Hogwarts and try to run the school into the ground. The same bitch who decided to torture her students with a blood quill during detentions." The journalists gave gasps of disbelief. "That's right. I've still got the scar to prove it." Holding his hand out, the photographer that had come up with Mr. Lovegood snapped several pictures.

"However I do believe the biggest farce was what the cunt considered as Defense Against the Dark Arts. Instead of preparing the students for what they were facing, she did her best to prevent us from doing what we must to survive this war. Oh yes, I call it a war because that is what we're in the middle of." Harry stated at Fudge's stricken expression.

"Now, a year later you see how wrong you were and now you're trying to save face. Well, bollocks to that. I've never once been asked how I feel about your competency. This is the answer I would give. The Fudge administration has done a terrible disservice to the Wizarding World. He knowingly put everyone's lives in danger by denying the truth about the Dark Lord. Caring more about lining his own pocket than the citizens he's supposed to rule over, the time has come for Minister Fudge to step aside and let someone other than a spineless coward do what needs to be done."

"Enjoy the time you have left in office Fudge, I doubt that it will last too much longer."

As Harry walked out, Cornelius seemed to actually notice the reporters for the first time. He just sank into his chair wishing he could disappear.


	6. Confrontations and Changes

**Chapter VI : Confrontations and Changes...**

Returning to the school, Harry was greeted in the entranceway by Dumbledore.

"Harry, I believe that it iss imperative that we talk." Dumbledore said.

"I'm assuming you're about to ask me to accompany you to your office. So, lead the way."

Passing the stone gargoyle and up the stairs, Harry entered the office he hadn't been in since his return. Dumbledore settled into his seat.

"Harry, I have to admit I'm concerned. That was an incredible display of power you used this morning. A display, I might add, that you did right after I warned you about doing anything rash."

"Well Headmaster," Harry started "I don't know about you, but I've had enough of dealing with lies and accusations against me. I refuse to be anyone's poster boy. The situation needed to be corrected, and so I took care of it. I'm not one to just "sit back and observe", like some others." Harry said this while giving a pointed glare across the desk. "If I can, I choose to take action."

"I must say, subtlety doesn't seem to be one of the new things you've picked up." commented Dumbledore.

"Subtlety is overrated. The point is, I'm sick of being someone's puppet. For too long you ignored my best interests, and now Fudge is trying to show me off as one of his puppets. Well, fuck that."

The Headmaster seemed to ignore the language at the moment. "Harry, I've always held your best interests above all others."

"Hah. That's the biggest load of bullshit if I've ever heard. Where was this concern for my interests when I was forced to live in a cupboard underneath the stairs? Where were you when I served as a punching bag for my cousin and his gang? Or the occasions when uncle Vernon would get drunk and take his frustration and anger out on me?"

Harry leaned forward and ran his hands over his face, trying to rub away the memories forcing their way to the top of his mind. Quickly applying some of his Occlumency, the memories faded, and he took a deep breath before continuing.

"Seeing my parents again made me the happiest I have ever been. Do you realize how sad that is? The happiest moment of my entire life was when I was dead. And yet it was tainted by the revelations of the all the manipulations. Manipulations of one Albus Dumbledore. My childhood tortures could have been avoided, if my parents clearly expressed wishes had been followed. Sirius would not have gone after Peter if he had me, and therefore would not have been sent to Azkaban."

"I have given this matter serious thought since your return." said Dumbledore. "At the time no one was sure Sirius was trustworthy. The news about the change of Secret-Keeper wasn't widely known, and there was a lot of doubt towards him. The attack on Peter only seemed to confirm it, which only in hindsight can we see how wrong we all were."

Dumbledore let a look of wearied sorrow cross his face, but it was so brief Harry wasn't sure if he had imagined it. The aging Professor continued. " Nothing can excuse the pain and suffering I caused you by placing you where I did. I just hope that one day you can forgive an old man's mistakes." He finished with a defeated look on his face.

Harry thought for a moment. "Professor, You and I have never been enemies. Right now I can't say that I forgive you, nor can I guarantee I ever will. The fact of the matter is right now we're at war. Though our choices may differ, in the end we are both working towards the same end. I refuse to tell you of my plans at this moment, because my trust in you is non-existent. The time may come where I require your assistance, and where you might require mine. For the interests of the wizarding world, we must be at least on good terms."

Standing from his seat, Harry reached out and extended his hand to the surprised Dumbledore.

"That is more than I hoped for, Mr. Potter." He said as he shook his hand. Harry gave a quick nod, then left the room.

Still filled with all the negative emotions from earlier that morning, he made his way to the Room of Requirement for some extra training. He didn't even notice his friends were already there and seated in the corner. Stripping off his shirt, he transfigured his pants into a loose pair of shorts and conjured up a pair of gloves. He had the room setup a punching bag, and it wasn't too long before he had quite a sweat worked up as he laced into the bag with all the anger and frustration of his life.

The bag had its limits, which its reached after a powerful roundhouse kick. It exploded in a shower of sand and pieces of leather. Feeling better, Harry got dressed again and headed up to shower and go to bed.

"When did Harry get a tattoo?" asked Luna. When he took his shirt off, Harry revealed a tattoo between his shoulder blades. It was a tattoo of an all-black phoenix rising majestically into a sunrise. It was truly a work of art.

Ron was gobsmacked, while Ginny couldn't stop thinking inappropriate thoughts.

Harry's outburst at the Ministry had an almost immediate effect. The next morning every newspaper besides the Prophet ran an article explaining Harry's views. Some said that the Wizengamot were convening for a vote of no-confidence in Minister Fudge, while a separate committee was being set up to investigate Delores Jane Umbridge.

It seemed like a nonstop barrage of owls came in at breakfast, all carrying letters from the common witch or wizard for Harry. Banishing the letters to the dorm for him to sort through later, Harry just tried to keep his head down and finish his breakfast. He didn't notice the glare coming from Draco Malfoy. His plate cleared, he and the others made their way down to the dungeons.

Potions had been a lot easier this year, considering he had been tutored in his school subjects by five of the greatest wizards in history. Who cares if they were dead at the time. His skill had improved to the point where Snape just ignored him, finding no faults to pick and snipe at. Packing up his stuff at the end of the lesson, he joined Ron and Hermione and left the room.

"Hey, Pothead." sneered Malfoy, who it seemed had been waiting for them. "Big quidditch match coming up next week. Let's hope you don't fall off your broom and make it too easy for me. By the way, my father sends his regards, and expresses his sincere disappointment that you took away the chance of him killing you back at the Veil."

"Well ferret, it would have been hard for your father to do anything considering he was constantly outwitted by a bunch of kids. Tell me, how is prison suiting him?" Harry responded.

"Just you wait!" Draco hissed. "My father will be set free, and then we'll enjoy watching the Dark Lord kill you. You, your blood-traitor and mudblood friends too."

Harry quickly stepped in Ron's way and put a hand on his chest.

"No Ron. Its not worth you getting into trouble."

Draco barely saw the fist coming as Harry quickly turned and blasted him in the face with a mean right hook. The next thing Draco knew, he was slumped against the wall staring at the Trio as they walked away. Harry stopped as he passed his collapsed form, and leaned down to his level.

"I hope your father does escape, just so I can have the pleasure of taking his life myself. Him, and then that hypocritical bastard you call a master. I'm not afraid of anything you could possibly bring against me. And if you even look at my friends the wrong way again, I'll kill you where you stand."

Harry flashed him a piercing look so Draco could see that he meant every word, then continued up the corridor to his friends.

"That was bloody brilliant, mate!" Ron exclaimed.

"Ronald!" snapped Hermione. "Harry shouldn't have done that. He could have gotten into serious trouble had Professor Snape come out and saw what was going on."

"I don't give a shit about the greasy git." Harry replied. Hermione didn't bother trying to correct Harry's language, she had realized that was how he talked now, and there was no way she was going to be able to do anything about it.

"Come on, Transfiguration next. Don't want to keep McGonagall waiting." Ron said, and they continued on their way.

The rest of the day passed by, and after dinner Harry brought the letters into the common room to go through them. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny soon came over and joined him. The letters ranged from marriage proposals, to donations, to the downright weird.

"This bird here wants you to meet her for a date. In the picture she shows what she'll be wearing, or should I say won't be wearing." Ron said with a grin.

"Apparently, so does this bloke." Ginny giggled.

"This witch has sent five galleons, and says that its your reward for doing what so many others are afraid to." Hermione added as she skimmed through a letter.

"Lets separate them into piles. Proposals, indecent pictures to be burned, those with honest requests, and donations." Harry said taking charge.

Neville came through the portrait with Luna, who had become a regular sight in the Gryffindor common room, and the two came over to lend a hand. Three hours later, the piles had been organized. The not-school-appropriate pictures were burned simultaneously by Hermione and Ginny, though Ron managed to pocket a couple when they weren't looking. The pile containing money had rapidly swelled to an almost overwhelming amount.

"I've got an idea for the money. Hold on a sec." Harry said as he seemed to loose focus. Ron recognized that he was contacting Sirius.

_'Hey. I need you to do me a favor. Set up a vault at Gringotts.'_

_'Umm...Okay. Could I ask why we need another vault?'_

_'Its not for us. I want to set up a fund. A victim relief fund to help out the unfortunate that have been or will be affected by the war. A lot of people have sent money to me for my antics at the Ministry. The money will be put into the fund.'_

_'That I can do. Name for the fund?'_

_"The Lily Foundation.'_

_'I'm sure she'll love the thought._

_'While you're the there, take the amount I send to you, times it by twenty, and add that amount from our vault to the fund.'_

_'You continue to amaze me Harry James Potter. Your parents would be so proud.'_

_'Lets just hope it will be enough. Let me know when its setup.'_

_'Will do."_

Harry closed their link, and stared at his friends while they chatted away. He was struck with melancholy. He knew that the path they were traveling down was dangerous, and that there was the very real possibility that not all of them, if any, would survive to see the end. He swore to himself that no matter what he would give his all to protect those he loved, even if it meant at the expense of his life.

The time had come for the D.A. to gather for the first time that year. Arriving at the Room of Requirements a half-hour early, Harry thought about what he was going to say. His musings were interrupted as his five confidants arrived, followed by a slow trickle of returning members. As they entered, Ginny and Luna had each of them sign a secrecy oath, swearing that nothing from this meeting will be revealed to anyone not present. Before long, they had all assembled and signed the oath.. Harry stepped forward.

"Thank you all to returning. Before we start anything, I have some serious announcements to make." He took a moment to gaze at each curious face. "I've come to realize that sometimes, there are more important things than grades."

"Tell that to Hermione." Ron mumbled underneath his breath, which earned him an elbow in the ribs.

This organization was started as a way for us to properly prepare for our examinations. It was never meant as some "army of kids", as the Ministry feared. Dumbledore's Army was not prepared to go out and fight and make a difference. So as of this moment, the D.A. is no more."

Harry let the gasps of surprise die down before continuing.

"We can't allow ourselves to be fooled into thinking that this war is going to be fought by strangers of an older generation. It'll be fought in our backyards, in our towns, at our school. This war is going to be fought by us, those who choose to stand up to darkness. It'll be fought by those that volunteer to join us, the Guardians of Light."

Taking a step back, he formed a line with his five closest friends. They took off their robes to reveal green jumpsuits that looked to be made of dragonhide, carrying the same symbol that appeared at Harry's return on the sleeve. The initials "GL" was on the right breast of the top.

Hermione stepped out to take over. "The Guardians of Light is strictly volunteer. Anyone who chooses to leave, do so now. No one will think any less of you." No one moved.

"I'm happy to see that. From now on we'll be training at levels far past those of OWL's or NEWT's. Our aim is to set up a group to challenge Voldemort and his followers. We will do what we must do to prepare while here at school."

A cheer went out from the listening crowd. They were sick of having people they knew die or be injured. Everyone present had been affected by Voldemort in one way or the other.

After having everyone measured for their sizes, they sent the students on their way.

"Well, that went well." commented Neville as the main six sat on some recently appeared couches.

"I'll send the sizes on to Sirius in the morning. It's safe to say they were stunned by our appearance." joked Harry. Dragonhide was rare to see. It was known for its ability to reduce the effects of some curses.

"I'm just happy to see so many willing to stand up and make a difference." Hermione said.

"Yes. Human beings can be quite extraordinary at times." Luna said dreamily.

Harry just sat back and enjoyed being in his friends company. Maybe the future didn't look so dim after all.


	7. Quidditch and the Burrow

A/N :Seeing as so far I've completely neglected to put up a disclaimer, here it is. Harry Potter and everything involved is not mine, never was, and never will be. If it was I'd simply pay someone else to write this story instead of putting in the time and effort myself. Phew, glad I've got that out of the way.

_**Chapter VII: Quidditch and the Burrow**_

The morning of the first Quidditch match, Harry woke up early and took a light jog, just to get loosened up. Not pushing himself too hard, he reflected on the their chances as he made his way back up to the dorm. He had high confidence in his team. It hadn't taken the others too long to get adjusted to their new top of the line brooms. Ginny and the Creevey brothers were working in perfect unison, and while it was the first season on the team for the beaters, they had taken to it quite well. They were no Fred and George Weasley, but impressed Harry none the less.

Quickly showering, he made his way down to the Great Hall to meet the team for breakfast. He noticed Ron wasn't eating, really feeling the nerves of captaining Gryffindor for the first time. He didn't want to be the one to lead them to defeat. Harry forced him to eat several slices of toast, then they all headed down to the pitch.

In the locker room Ron had a look on his face that he might be sick. Harry saw he needed to do something, so went over to him. Talking softly so the others wouldn't hear him, he tried giving Ron some confidence.

"Listen mate. We've worked hard at practice. You've thought up plays and strategies I think no one else has ever even heard of. This could be the best team I've seen from Gryffindor. Loosen up and just enjoy it." Harry said. He could see the difference in Ron's face, and went back to his seat besides Colin.

Ron took a second to compose himself, then began the traditional pre-game speech.

"Alright guys, listen up." Ron started. "And girls." He quickly added after a not-too subtle cough from Ginny. "Sitting here we've got potentially the best team in Gryffindor history. Everyone knows how the Slytherins play. Expect them to play dirty, and don't expect them to hold back. We've got the better brooms and by far the better players. Lets go out and really stick it to 'em!"

The team stood up and let loose yells and cheers as the adrenaline started to kick in. They lined up as the Slytherin lineup was being announced. Soon, the time came for them to enter the field.

"And now, you're Gryffindor lineup. Chaser Ginny Weasley...Joined by the Creevey Brothers...the Beaters Travis Stever and Claudio Sanchez...the youngest player for a Hogwart's house team in a over a century, Harry Potter...and the Captain and Keeper, Ronald Weasley!"

Ron went to the middle to join Madam Hooch and the Slytherin captain. They shook hands, which meant they gripped hands with the intention of breaking the other's fingers. The balls were released, and with a whistle they were off.

Harry immediately flew about the level of play and began searching for any flashes of gold. He noticed Draco had adopted his familiar style of sticking as close to Harry as he could. He laughed and thought about how he could take advantage of this.

The Chasers weren't holding anything back, and the opposition just couldn't seem to do anything about it. After ten minutes of play the score was already 70-0. The Slytherin's were starting to get desperate, and their beaters were swinging the clubs not caring if they were hitting bludgers or Gryffindor flesh. After a penalty was called, Harry took a chance to make sure the Snitch wasn't in sight.

Ginny put away the free shot, and Harry made his move. Lazily flying across the field, making sure Malfoy was right behind him, he suddenly went into a steep dive. Not seeing anything, but couldn't take the chance of being wrong, Draco followed.

"What's this? It seems that Potter has seen the snitch!" the announcer, a 5th-year Hufflepuff, called.

Harry held his dive until it was almost too late, but pulled up in time to skim his feet across the grass as he leveled away. Draco wasn't so lucky and finished his dive by ploughing a ten foot long trench into the grass.

"And a highly successful Wronski Feint from the Gryffindor seeker. Mr. Malfoy is going to be feeling that one." came the announcers highly amused voice. He was right, Draco was shakily climbing to his feet and was slow to remount his broom.

The Gryffindor onslaught continued. The score was 170-10, Ron had taken the sportsman's-like approach and let in one of their shots, coincidentally it was the only shot they had. Harry had been letting the Chasers have their, and while keeping one eye out for the snitch he really put his Firebolt through its paces. Looping around Ron and his goalposts, he looked down field and spotted a flash of gold. The snitch was hovering around the center circle. Malfoy hadn't noticed yet, which was good because he was a lot closer to it than Harry was. Flattening on to his broom for maximum speed, he took off after it.

Malfoy seemed to take a minute before catching on. He was a bit hesitant to end up as a lawn ornament. He spotted the snitch himself, which was heading towards the Slytherin hoops, and went after it. Harry's superior broom speed allowed him to make up a lot of distance, and as they got within catching distance they were almost neck and neck, with Malfoy having a slight edge.

They were rapidly approaching the Slytherins goals, and Harry could see unless the snitch was caught in the next few seconds, they were going to have to peel off and potentially loose sight of the snitch once more. Without thinking Harry pushed off of his broom entirely and dove after the snitch. He clutched his fingers around the cool metal of the snitch, and continued his freefall.

Ginny had just slipped another goal, her twelfth of the match, passed the Slytherin keeper while he was distracted by the seeker chase. She was genuinely surprised by the sudden addition of weight on her broom, and wasn't expecting the strong hands gripping her around the waist. She looked down to see the golden snitch in one of the hands, and looked back into Harry's grinning face. "Nice catch." Harry said. Laughing to herself, she made her way to the ground. Harry kissed her cheek, called out "Thanks for the ride!" and slipped off her broom.

The crowd was still cheering. It had probably been one of the most spectacular catches in Hogwart's history. Harry's feet had barely touched the ground before his teammates had swarmed him, joined by the still bouncing fans from the stands.

The party that night lasted well into the early morning. Dobby and Winky brought in enough butterbeer and snacks to satisfy the entire school twice-over. Professor McGonagall eventually had to come in three times for them to finally head up to bed. Harry fell asleep that night feeling good, it was nice to have a distraction from the real world every now and then.

The weeks passed and the Guardians of Light were making significant progress. Hermione and Luna had passed on advanced shielding and healing techniques, while Ron, Neville, and Ginny focused on offensive spells. Harry was at every meeting, and spent his time going around the room, giving individual pointers and helping those that seemed to struggle. He was becoming more and more confident that in a battle they could hold their own. That was important to Harry, because he knew when the final showdown happened, he'd need every single one of them to watch his back while he went after Voldemort.

To keep in contact when they were away from school, as well as for those not currently enrolled at Hogwarts, Harry had given all members of the Guardians of Light a special watch. At first glance it looked just like any other watch. When tapped and a name stated, the other person's watch would reveal their face, and the two could converse. It was a rather ingenious idea Hermione had come up with during one of her many sessions in the library.

The holiday break came upon them sooner than Harry had expected, and he had never been so happy to get away from Hogwarts, if only for a couple of weeks. The Weasley's and the Granger's were coming to the Estate Christmas Day. Dobby and Winky were over the moon, finally getting the care for a larger amount of people. Stepping off the train as it pulled into King's Cross, Harry was pulled into Mrs. Weasley's famous embrace.

"Harry dear, I can't tell you how good it is to see you again!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed once she released him. Harry's ribs ached, but he didn't mind it at all.

"Its great as always to see you too, Mrs. Weasley." Harry replied.

"The summer was so terrible, everyone convinced you were gone. My heart nearly broken, one of my sons taken from me." She gulped as she said it.

"I'm back now. I'm sorry for upsetting you." Harry didn't know what else to say. he was touched that Mrs. Weasley saw him as one of her own.

"Typical Harry, always caring about everyone else more than he cares for himself." Arthur Weasley said, stepping up and shaking Harry's hand. "Its good to se you again, lad."

"You too, sir. Everything is set up for your visit, I've already added to the Burrow to my Floo. I've given Hermione the address, and she'll be the Grangers shall be coming on the 23rd. It'll be nice, all of us gathering together for Christmas."

"It'll be a great time." Mr. Weasley responded, and with handshakes and hugs all around, they parted ways.

Harry made his way through the barrier and through the station to the street, where Sirius had arranged to meet him. Looking around, he spotted his keys flying towards him.

'_It's been awhile, figured you'd like to go for a ride_' Sirius thought to him from where he sat on his bike next to Harry's own bike.

'_You really are reading my mind' _Harry replied. Getting on his bike, Harry silently cast a warming spell onto himself. and the two of them set off.

Hermione came with her parents as planned on the 23rd. Harry had revealed the address to them at their house, and they followed him in their car as he rode his motorcycle. He really loved the freedom he felt on his ride.

The Grangers were overwhelmed at the sheer size of the house. Never had they seen someone's residence being so big. Harry left Sirius to set up their rooms and take them on a tour, while he went to his study and looked over the notes Sirius had made of his advancements while Harry was away at school.

Harry was determined to enjoy his holiday, so he put the notes back into his desk and headed down to the main living room where Sirius and Hermione were setting up the Christmas tree. Joining in on the festivities, he enjoyed placing ornaments and tinsel. Hermione's parents were relaxing on one of the couches, just having fun watching the three have such a good time.

Harry was taken by surprise when his watch began to light up, and even more so when it was Ron's face that appeared.

"Harry! The Burrow is under attack! The wards are holding for now, but Bill doesn't think they'll last much longer."

Hermione gasped, scared for her second family. Sirius and Harry shared a glance, then apparated on the spot. They appeared in the middle of the Weasley kitchen, greeted by two wands.

"Hello Bill, Charlie. Lovely evening." Harry dryly remarked.

Pointing the wands down, the two eldest Weasley sons nodded.

"Its good to see you two. Fifteen Death Eaters are pounding at the wards, at this rate we have less than five minutes." Bill filled them in on the situation.

Picking up one of the many cookbooks laying around, Harry tapped it with his wand. "_**PORTUS**_". the book glowed blue for a second and Harry threw it over to Charlie. "There's a portkey to Potter Estate. The Grangers are there waiting. Round up your family, then just tap it with your wand."

"What about the two of you?" Charlie asked, getting the feeling they weren't coming with them.

"Don't worry about us." Harry calmly stated, confirming Charlie's thought. "We can handle ourselves. Right now I'm only concerned for your family. Get them out of here."

A loud gong sounded.

"That's the wards failing. We have less than a minute." Bill explained.

"Go!" Sirius said as he pushed the two redheads towards the living room and where the family was waiting. They didn't look happy about it, but realized it was the best chance of getting everyone out safely.

So, what's the plan?" Sirius asked, turning back to the Harry once Bill and Charlie had left the room.

"You mean we've been here all of thirty seconds and you haven't thought of a plan yet? your brain must be slowing down in it's old age." Harry teased. "I for one, am implementing a method that has served me well over the years."

Sirius thought for a second. "Blindly running into the situation and flying by the seat of our pants. I like it."

"Always worked for me, so far." Harry said stepping to the door. There was a loud crash as the wards finally collapsed. He was out the door before the noise had faded, Sirius close behind.

The Death Eater's were taken by surprise, not expecting resistance. Harry's well-aimed "_**REDUCTOR**_" blew off a wand arm at the elbow, leaving the masked man to collapse in shock. Sirius had fired off several stunners in succession, and another two of the attackers fell to three stunning spells to the chest each. Harry took advantage of the distraction, and launched an explosion hex at a close tree stump.

"_**EXPULSO**_" he thought, and was satisfied by the results as the tree stump exploded into wooden splinters, striking three nearby Death Eaters and tearing them into pieces from the torso down. Harry felt a breeze pass along his left side, and whirled away firing in return. Preparing another curse, the Death Eater wasn't expecting Harry's "_**DIFFINDO**_" to catch him in the shoulder. Blackness was all he saw after that.

Sirius and Harry regrouped, crouching by a nearby tree, catching a breath. They had taken six of the assailants down in just a few seconds, but nine still remained.

'_I'm going to apparate to the other side of them. Try not to hit me._' Harry thought to Sirius. He nodded in return, and stood up as Harry disappeared.

Curses flew his way as they hadn't noticed Harry reappearing behind them. Casting a strong shield spell, Sirius just bared through the onslaught. It didn't last long, Harry sent four "_**REDUCTOR**_" curses into the backs of four Death Eater's before they caught on. Seeing their numbers so greatly reduced, the remaining five panicked. Grabbing at the portkey necklaces they were wearing, they retreated back to their master.

Harry and Sirius just stood there for a moment. the ground was strewn with debris from missed curses, and ten bodies were laying on the ground. At least half of the attackers had died from their wounds.

'_I think we should take one of them. We need information._' Harry thought.

'_Where can we keep him?' _Sirius asked.

'_Put him in the room set up for when Lupin deals with his furry problem Dobby can keep an eye on him.' _Harry answered after thinking for a moment.

'_Alright_.' Sirius walked over to one of the still breathing bodies. Pumping another stunner into him, he tied him up. '_You head back and calm the others. I'll take care of this one.' _Sirius called out to Harry. He picked up the prisoner, slung him over his shoulder and the two disappeared from view.

Harry took another moment to reflect over the small battlefield. He and Sirius had made short work of a numerically superior force. While he thought that was a positive, he was dismayed by the fact that his best friend's family had been attacked in the first place. Shaking his head, he apparated back home.

He was greeted by the sight of the Grangers and Weasleys all sitting around the dining room table, Winky and Dobby standing close by to take care of any needs. Sirius must have thought ahead and apparated directly to the other wing, where the dungeons were located.

"Mr. Weasley," Harry said, surprising the room's occupants as they hadn't noticed his return. "I would suggest contacting the Auror Department for a cleanup crew to the Burrow. And I'd like to personally invite you and your family to stay here for as long as you need to. Sirius and I took care of the Death Eater's but in my opinion, its not safe to go back yet."

"Perhaps you're right. And, thank you." the oldest Weasley responded. Harry nodded, and was gripped in a hug from Mrs. Weasley.

"How could we ever repay you? You've saved all of our lives on several occasions. The best thing to happen to this family, you were." Mrs. Weasley said as she was mothering Harry. "Harry, you're bleeding!" she worriedly pointed out.

Harry looked down and noticed his shirt was torn and there was a gash along his ribcage. "So that's what the breeze was. Oh well, just a scratch." He pointed his wand at the wound, and with an "_**EPISKEY**_" it healed immediately.

"Sirius had the right idea by changing first. I'm going to do the same. Dobby, Winky, could you two start serving dinner?" Harry asked the house-elves.

"Wahoo!" shouted Ron, then blushed at the glances sent his way. "What? I'm hungry."

Harry chuckled as he headed up to his room. It was good to know that no matter what, some things still remained the same.


	8. Innocent

_**Chapter VIII: Innocent...**_

As Dobby and Winky went to prepare dinner, Arthur went to use the Floo to contact Kingsley Shacklebolt to alert him to what had happened. Harry returned, showered and changed, and with Sirius shortly joining them, the gathered settled down to eat.

The table had been cleared from dinner, and Arthur gestured for Harry to join him in the other room.

"What's going on, Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked.

"I got in touch with Kingsley and had him take a team out to the Burrow. He just contacted me, asking if you and I could meet him at the Leaky Cauldron. He is interested in having a private chat with us, mainly you."

"When is he expecting us?"

"He wants us to head over there now. It's getting late and suspicious eyes won't be as alert." answered Arthur.

"Well then, it'd be rude to keep him waiting." Harry said and went to fetch his traveling cloak. He joined Arthur at the fireplace, and they Floo'd to Diagon Alley.

Entering the Leaky Cauldron, Kingsley greeted them and took them to a private room upstairs.

"Well Harry," the Auror started after they had all settled into seats. "I have to tell you, that was mighty impressive work out there. I led the team to the Burrow myself. Nine stunned or dead bodies for us. That's quite a haul any day. Might I ask, where had you learned those skills? he inquired.

"Mr. Shacklebolt."

"Kingsley, please."

Alright, Kingsley then. I respect you an great deal. However, at this time the true extent of my powers and where I gained them is a secret not to leave my most trusted companions. I apologize, but in times like these, that is simply how it must be."

Kingsley let out a laugh. "I like you boy. You've got spunk. And I really do understand you're reasoning. As Mad-Eye would so eloquently put it..."

"Constant Vigilance." Harry finished the familiar statement.

"He'll be happy to hear it's sunk in. On to other matters. As my team was finishing up, Dumbledore arrived at the Burrow. The wards have been renewed and strengthened. It is safe to move your family back in at your discretion." Kingsley said to Mr. Weasley.

"That's great to hear. Harry here has invited us to stay as long as we need to, so I feel that at this time we're better off staying with him. At least until the children are back at school."

"That is wise Mr. Weasley." said Harry. "And might I also give one more suggestion. I believe that perhaps the Burrow would be even safer under the Fidelius Charm, with yourself as the secret-keeper."

Where could we find a powerful enough wizard for that? Dumbledore did the wards himself, I'm sure he'll just see that as overkill." responded Arthur.

"Overkill or not, I want those I care about to be as safe as possible. Your family is my family. As for a powerful wizard, I can greatly assure you that I can do cast the charm myself."

Both Arthur and Kingsley were shocked at his declaration.

"Are you sure? I mean we are talking about a great amount of power and needed here." Said a skeptical Kingsley.

"Quite sure. How about, seeing as you'll be given the Burrow's location anyway, the three of us meet at the Burrow the school continues. I'll cast the charm, the Burrow will be safer, and you'll both be a bit more convinced."

"If Arthur has no objections, I would like to witness this." Kingsley said.

Mr. Weasley thought for a moment. "How can I object to ensuring my family's safety to the fullest possible extent." He decided.

"Noon then." Harry said.

"Well, if there's no more pressing matters to be discussed, it is getting rather late and we should be heading back." Arthur said after looking at his watch.

Kingsley stood and shook their hands. With a nod to each other, Kingsley left the room while Harry and Mr. Weasley apparated back to Potter Estate.

After breakfast, Harry and Sirius decided to go talk to the prisoner from the day before. Sirius brought in a vial of Veritaserum from their potion stockpiles. They administered the correct dosage, then revived the stunned victim. They kept him bound so he wouldn't try anything.

"What is your name?" Sirius started. They had settled on only one of them asking the questions to prevent confusion, so Harry just watched on.

"Todd Smith." answered the Death Eater.

"Who sent you to attack the Burrow?" came the next question.

"Our orders were given to us by Lucius Malfoy." Harry was enraged hearing this.

"What was the objective?"

"Wormtail scouted out the Burrow for several days, in his animagus form to avoid detection. We used his information to know the layout and locations of the wards. Lucius knew that hurting the Weasleys would hurt Harry Potter. We were ordered to attack the Burrow and leave no survivors."

Harry couldn't stand to hear anymore without killing the man. He fired another stunner in the Death Eater.

"Where do we go from here?" Sirius asked. Having the information they needed, Harry tore off the left sleeve off of the captive's shirt. Placing a portkey on the man's chest, he tapped it with his wand and sent him to appear directly into the lobby of the Ministry of Magic.

"I'm starting to have an idea. We need my invisibility cloak, some of our polyjuice potion supply, and some of Mr. Weasley's hair."

"Gonna catch us a rat." Sirius said with a grin.

"Kill two birds with one stone." Harry matched his grin. His statement left Sirius confused. "You'll see what I mean when we get to phase two of my outstanding plan."

"Full of ourselves, much?" Sirius teased.

"Always." responded Harry as he walked out of the room and went to collect their supplies.

The two had been at the Burrow for several hours now, Harry had been standing guard outside under his cloak, while Sirius wandered the inside polyjuiced as Mr. Weasley.

'_Are we even sure he'll be here?' _Sirius asked for the tenth time.

'_I can't be sure. But I know if I was Voldemort, I'd want to know how my men had fucked up this badly. Seeing as, as far as they know, we don't know about Peter's information, he'd be the logical candidate to come back for clues.'_

'_Makes sense. But I'm starting to get bored, and this shit tastes nasty!' _Sirius whined.

'_Poor baby, wouldn't want little Sirius get...wait. I sense someone.' _Harry thought to his companion.

'_Is it him?' _It really came in handy being able to communicate without being heard.

'_It feels vaguely familiar. And...yes, I see a rat. A rat with a silver paw. It's him.' _Harry confirmed. _'Waiting for him to come closer...almost...there!'_

"_**STUPEFY!" **_Harry shouted as he whirled off his cloak. The power behind his stunner was so intense the rat was thrown ten feet into the air and twenty feet away.

Sirius came running out of the house and cast the revealing spell. It was clearly Wormtail laying in front of them.

"Finally." said Sirius.

"Now is the time for phase two. Follow me lead." Harry said.

Ten minutes later, the two apparated directly into the Ministry, adopting a stance five feet apart. Panic started when the Ministry visitors realized Sirius was among them. "It's Sirius Black!" "Murderer among us!" Sirius just grinned at the attention. Rather quickly, a squad of Aurors had surrounded them.

"Surrender your wands!' The lead Auror commanded. Harry wasn't about to be swayed.

"Bring me Fudge!" Harry commanded. The authoritative tone in his voice was beyond questioning, and they figured they'd rather let Fudge deal with it.

Arriving at the disturbance, Fudge seemed nonplussed.

"What is the meaning of this? Arrest him! The boy too." the Aurors moved in, but with a wave of Harry's hand, they were unable to come within ten feet of either of them.

"Minister Fudge. Sirius has always been an innocent man. Peter Pettigrew betrayed my parents to Voldemort, then faked his own death while killing those muggles. Therefore, you will issue an immediate pardon for Sirius Orion Black. Furthermore, the ministry shall pay restitution for the twelve years he served in Azkaban." Harry stated.

"I will do no such thing. Those reports about you going mad must be true, there's no way I'm going to do that on the word of silly little boy. You'll need better proof then that." responded the Minister.

"Those are the words I was waiting to hear." Waving his wand, Harry summoned his cloak to him, revealing an unconscious Wormtail suspended between him and Sirius, the Dark Mark on his arm clearly visible. Another wave of Harry's wand sent Peter flying into Fudge, sending them both sprawling to the floor.

"Any more bloody proof you need? I expect the pardon to be printed front page of tomorrow morning's Daily Prophet."

Sirius, who had been quiet the entire time, finally added a thought. "Send the money you owe me to the Lily Foundation, victim relief fund. Help those that have been hurt by your fuck-ups."

Harry and Sirius left the Ministry, planning on returning home and enjoying the rest of Christmas.

A/N: Yes, this was a short chapter. The main purpose was to have a way for Sirius to live his life without having to hide in the shadows anymore. He can now play a bigger role in Harry's life outside of the Estate. Sirius is one of my favorite characters, he deserves it. Don't worry, the real action is about to start.


	9. Passing of the Torch

**A/N:**_ This is the longest chapter by far. There are several significant jumps in time, all needed to progress the plot points. I hope you bear with it, and if there's any questions or serious confusion, drop me a message and I'll happily explain. Also point out any major screw-ups or confusion points and I'll do my best to fix it. Enjoy, and thanks a lot for sticking with it so far._

_**Chapter IX: Growth, Passing of the Torch, and Reason for Living...**_

Christmas morning came, and Harry awoke early. If nothing else, the events of the last couple days had served as a reminder that he must continue to work to be at his best. Entering the house's well-equipped gym, he placed silencing spells around the room, and blasting hard-rock music, he began to pushing his muscles to new limits.

While lifting weights, Harry mused over the notes Sirius had given him. Sirius and Oliver had been working with Lupin and Tonks on recruiting people for the Guardians of Light. So far they had about thirty wizards committed to the cause. Add that to the twenty-five Hogwarts students and it was a pretty decent force.

The Weasley twins had been hard at work. While running their joke shop during the day, they had been spending several hours a night at the Estate developing weapons. They had a wizarding version of the muggle grenade, which upon impact would fire out several pre-chosen spells in random directions. Harry could see how effective that would be if thrown into a crowd of enemies. Another new development was of a device that, when charged, threw up shield charms when a curse was fired at them. Though it drew from their own magic, it had the same effect as a shield charm from a wand. The benefit was not having to see the curse, taking out the chance of being surprised from behind, and leaving both your arms free.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Walking in silently, with only a nod in greeting, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all began their own lighter workouts. It seemed it had finally hit them how real the stakes were, and that the other side wouldn't be pulling any punches. They didn't talk, just focused on what they had to do to better themselves. After forty-five minutes, fatigue was starting to set in for Harry, so he knew the others would be feeling it too. Calling their session to an end, they parted ways to shower and dress for the day.

Gathering again in the kitchen, they were greeted by a massive breakfast Mrs. Weasley had convinced the Dobby and Winky to let her make. It was as fabulous as it had ever been. With breakfast out of the way, they all sat around the Christmas tree to open gifts.

Harry's friends had all been impressed with his gifts. Ron had received a brand new of the latest keeper gloves, with his name embroidered on. Not knowing what to get him, Harry had decided to stick with what Ron liked best, Quidditch. It also helped that his old pair were pretty worn out. Hermione's gift left her speechless. While scouring through the Potter Estate's extensive library Harry had come across one of the first ever copies of _Hogwarts, a History_. The edition was dated from well over five hundred years ago. Hermione was stunned to own such an ancient and priceless artifact from the past.

Ginny's present required almost no thought. She had been quite taken with a charm bracelet she had seen in a picture of Harry's mother. Noticing her reaction, he decided to get her one of her own. Having been told the name of the place by Sirius, he had gone to the same jewelry store from which his father had gotten the one for his mother. He only started off with one charm on it, a golden snitch(it looked better than a quaffle).

He saved the best present for last. Walking over to Sirius, he handed the man a frame. Contained in this frame was the front page of that very morning's Daily Prophet.

_**Sirius Black Declared Innocent!...**_

_In a strange turn of events, ex-inmate Sirius Orion Black was pardoned by Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge. The pardon came about as a result of the surprise capture of believed-deceased and now proven Death Eater, Peter Pettigrew; the wizard Mr. Black was convicted of murdering in cold blood..._

Sirius shed a tear as he finished reading the article. With a whoop he wrapped Harry up into a huge hug.

"Harry my boy, this is amazing. No longer must I hide in the shadows. I can finally be fully a part of your life! I can't tell you how much this means to me!" Dancing around the room, he roped everyone into back-breaking hugs, even little Winky who had come into the room to see if any tea was needed.

As the day continued, the surprises kept coming as Neville and Luna arrived. Harry had invited them both to stay at Potter Estate for the rest of the holidays, to spend time with friends and to continue to have their private lessons from Harry. Giving them time to settle in, the six of them relaxed for the rest of the day and just enjoyed being all together. The Grangers would be returning home the next day, while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were staying until the children were back on the Hogwarts Express.

The rest of break passed as a blur. Mornings were spent on the private lessons. While Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were curious as to what they were up to, they could tell that Harry wouldn't reveal anything he didn't want to. Deciding they had a right to know considering four of their children were closely working with him, Harry took them both to the side one morning to fill them in.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I feel you should know what we have been up to. At school, Dumbledore's Army is no more. In it's place, we have formed the Guardians of Light. No longer are we an extension of class trying to learn for exams. Now we are doing everything we can to prepare ourselves for war." A muffled gasp came from Mrs. Weasley. "The Order just isn't doing enough, in my opinion. Once trained as well as we can be, the GL will be taking the fight to the Death Eaters. Quickly responding to attacks, launching raids when we have leads, and defending those that so far have been relatively defenseless. I can no longer sit back and let them have their way. And unsurprisingly, I'm not the only one that feels this way."

Mrs. Weasley was silent as a tear rolled down her cheek. She had known all along that with her entire family involved in the fight the odds were against them, but she hadn't realized how involved her two babies were.

Mr. Weasley was thoughtful for a moment.

"Harry, I respect the man it's obvious you've become. I feel that the safest place our children could be is at your side, because I can see that you would do anything in your power to protect them. Do what you must, teach them as best as you can. I have a feeling that they'll need it." With a shake of Harry's hand, he took Molly up to their room to calm her down.

Harry decided to go for a ride. Long rides on his motorcycle really allowed him to clear his head, and he had taken to going for a ride every night, to wind down from the day. Ginny accompanied him on several occasions. With several warming spells applied, they weren't affected by the winter chill, and they enjoyed their time together. They actually found it quite amusing to see the looks from the muggles they passed, as if to say "them fruit loops, got to be freezin their nudgers off".

The time came for them to return to Hogwarts all too quickly, though Harry thought it was time well spent. He had taught the others apparition, which they had all mastered, and they had been could popping in and out around the Estate at will. He had warned them not use it in public though. They were all still too young for their license, while he knew the Ministry really couldn't stop him personally.

The train ride back to school was pleasant enough. Malfoy still seemed to be scared from the last encounter he had with Harry, so didn't feel the need to make his presence known. That was fine with them. As Harry climbed into bed that night, he found himself missing home. What struck him as odd was that for the first time since finding out about Hogwarts, he no longer felt like the school was the only real home he had.

Harry had a busy week. Ron had increased quidditch practice due to the team's recent inactivity, considering they had a game that Saturday. Also, Harry had increased the Guardian of Light meetings to three nights a week.

The Guardians of Light had improved drastically. He felt at the rate they had been learning, the average members of his group could match up against an Auror and hold their own. He was impressed at the dedication they put into the training. The growth of his friends was what truly struck him as remarkable. Harry felt confident that if there was ever cause for his absence, Ron could competently take control of the GL and do just as well a job. Neville also had seemed to develop great leadership skills. Hermione and Luna were focusing on advanced emergency healing, the plan was when time came for battle, the two of them would be the ones best capable of tending to wounded.

Ginny's development was the biggest surprise to Harry. She had proved to be a very fierce fighter in her own right. Out of everyone, Harry considered her second to only him in terms of fighting ability.

It was during this week that Harry decided to begin teaching them training to become animagus. He had grasped it within a week, but Harry knew it would take his friends a little longer having only him for a guide and not four of the greatest wizards and witches to ever live. To begin, he showed them the steps he took to transform, and cycled through several of his forms. Besides the grey wolf everyone had seen, Harry had two other forms. One of them was a beautiful all-black Phoenix, the same as the Guardians of Light crest and of his tattoo. His final form was the most awe-inspiring. Standing in Harry's place was a mythical creature, the Griffin. The magical creature, with the front body of an eagle and hindquarters of a lion, was very rare. While it was almost unheard of for someone to have a magical creature as an animagus from, Harry had two of them.

Harry performed a spell on them, forcing their animal forms to reveal themselves, greatly easing the steps needed to complete the transformation. Ron went first, and his form was to be a bear. It made sense considering his size, and how he was fiercely protective of "his territory". Neville went next. The way his bravery and courage had grown, it was almost no surprise when his form was that of a lion. Ginny adopted the form of a cheetah, small and speedy. matching her rather unique and sometimes goofy nature, Luna was to become a platypus. The most obvious form was Hermione's, who turned out to be an owl.

"And yet she hates flying. Go figure." Ginny said.

Ron had doubled over in laughter as a thought passed through his head. When pressed as to what was so funny, Ron stuttered out.

"She's an owl...we can call her Hooters!"

"RONALD WEASLEY! Will you grow up!" Hermione chided him for his immaturity, but was taken aback by the laughter coming from everyone else. It seemed that to her misfortune, the name was stuck.

Now knowing what their forms were to be, they could work on easing into the transformation steps at a time. Harry let them work on it at their own pace. There was nothing more he could do, with the rest of the process focused internally.

That Saturday was the quidditch match against Ravenclaw. The match had gone well, Gryffindor squashing their opponents 240-30, with Harry once again pulling off a spectacular catch of the snitch. Cho had been trying her best to distract Harry by flirting with him. That plan backfired when Ginny snatched a Beater's bat out of a surprised Claudio's hand, and with an unerring accuracy directed a bludger at the Ravenclaw seeker, practically knocking her off of her broom.

The highlight of the match was that Sirius had come up and seen them. He had been able to actually enjoy a match for the first time out of his dog form. Harry walked with him after the match.

"Harry, that was incredible. Your father would be so proud." his godfather said.

"I know. I'm just glad that you could be here to watch. I know we were together before, but it finally feels like I'm officially allowed to have a family again." Harry responded.

"I know what you mean. Always having to hide, not allowing myself to be seen in public. I was starting to feel less like a human and more like a shadow. "

"I'm just glad we've sorted that out."

"Me too, slick. Well, time to stop sulking. You get up to the Tower and tear up a victory party never seen before. I'll see you soon." With a backslapping hug, the two men parted ways.

Spring had arrived, and with it came another Hogsmeade weekend. The gang had decided to skip it. Ginny and Luna had began their OWL preparations, while the others just wanted to have a quiet day. the two fifth-years brought their study materials with them, and the six planned on spending the day relaxing by the lake. Enjoying the peace, Harry laid out and took a nap sitting against a tree, Ginny leaning against him with her head buried in her book.

His slumber was interrupted by the sound of screams. Several third-years were running through the gate and back up to the school, followed by several more students, all at a full-on sprint.

"Oi, you! What's going on?" Ron shouted at the nearest boy.

"Bad men attacking Hogsmeade!" sputtered the fourth-year as he continued retreating to the safety of the school.

Harry was instantly on his feet.

"Hermione and Luna, head up to the castle. Alert Dumbledore and have Madam Pomfrey prepare for possible injuries. Ginny, meet us there. Ron, Neville. Climb on." Harry ordered before changing into his fearsome Griffin. Ginny, having mastered her form quite quickly, changed into her cheetah and took off for the village. Ron and Neville barely made it onto his back as Harry took off.

Landing on the outskirts of the village, Harry quickly reverted back to human as soon as the two riders were free. Adopting a triangle formation, they headed down the main lane into the center of Hogsmeade.

A large mass of Death Eaters were sending people running, setting buildings on fire and torturing those not fortunate to get out of the way in time. There had to be at least forty of them.

"_**EXPULSO!**_"

Three explosion hexes took out three different Death Eaters as Harry, Ron, and Neville came within range. They were taken off guard, not expecting resistance from the villagers and visiting students. Five more were quickly dropped and three sent flying.

A blur of red tackled Harry out of the way as a curse passed through the space his head was last occupying. Ginny rolled to her feet and fired a Reductor in return. The force behind it was so intense it nearly bisected the assailant cleanly in half. Either way, he was dead before he hit the ground.

Ron and Neville had managed to place themselves between several of the attackers and a group of trapped students, and were keeping the Death Eaters from advancing onto the terrified children.

Harry had enough. Seeing red, he began to unleash the full might of his power. Ginny could only watch as he waded directly into the Death Eater ranks. Wandlessly casting shields with his left hand, his wand was a blur, non-stop firing curses and hexes point blank into the masked attackers. Death Eaters were collapsing, or sent flying back, usually with limbs blown off or left behind. A bludgeoning curse flattened one's face while simultaneously a "DIFINDO" from Harry severed a wand arm at the elbow.

Losing track of time, Harry didn't know how long he had kept up his assault until a wave of stunners passed him, striking the few remaining Death Eaters left standing. It seemed the Hogwarts teachers had grouped and finally arrived, led by Albus Dumbledore.

Harry spun around, looking for a target. None were left in any condition to continue to fight. It seemed he had single-handedly taken out three-fourths of the Death Eaters, but at a cost. He stumbled over to where his three friends were scouting for hidden students to send back up to the school.

"Harry!" Ginny screamed when she saw him. Numerous bruises and gashes, clearly seen beneath his torn robes, covered his body from curses he had failed to deflect. The right side of his face was coated with blood from a viscous cut two inches above his eye. It was incredible to say that not once had he faltered in his defense of the students.

"Itsharight Gin, theys all gone." Harry managed to slur out as he collapsed to the ground.

Harry came to in very familiar surroundings. He was in the Hogwarts hospital wing. Groping around for his glasses, he felt them being passed to him, and he graciously accepted them from his guest. What surprised him was the identity of his visitor. Expecting Ginny or Hermione, he was surprised to see the face of Dumbledore.

"Professor." Harry thanked with a nod as he straightened up.

"Harry. It saddens me to say that it took this dreadful attack to see what both Sirius and yourself tried to impress upon me. However, it brightens me to know that that all reports indicate that thanks mostly in part to the efforts of you and your friends, no innocent deaths were caused today. All those injured have already been released, with you shortly completing you're return to full health." The headmaster paused for a moment, before finishing his thought. "It seems that the Guardians of Light could not have a better leadership team."

"Ah. I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure out what we were up to."

Harry said.

"Not a lot goes on in this school without my being aware of it. I decided early on that I would give you the freedom to do what you needed to do. My involvements from the past have never seemed to serve you well. And I must say, I don't think I could be any more impressed with what you have accomplished with your group of students."

Harry smirked in his head when Dumbledore said, thinking that Albus didn't know about the Guardian of Light activities outside of school. That thought was soon shot down. Leaning back into his chair, Dumbledore continued.

"I formed The Order of the Phoenix during Voldemort's first rise to power as I felt that no one else was doing enough to combat him. It seems that in these troubled times we have grown lax with out purpose, and you've risen beautifully to fill in for my negligence. The Guardians of Light, both in and out of Hogwarts, will be a force to be reckoned with surely. Which brings me to my request." The Headmaster took a deep breath.

"I have always imagined passing on the reigns of leadership of the Order to someone more capable, someone with the capacity to lead where I could not. I do believe that I'm looking at that person. What I'm asking, is for my Order of the Phoenix to join your Guardians of Light."

"I'm shocked." Harry simply stated. "is everyone ok with this?"

"At our last meeting, I had the subject brought up. While met with some resistance, the overall feeling was acceptance. Shortly after the attack on Hogsmeade and the news had broken, I was contacted by every single member of the Order wanting in. I assure you, we would not be joining you with the aim of undermining your own group. I feel it is time for a change, and you are the beacon of hope the Wizarding World so desperately needs."

"I still don't know what to say. I was never expecting this. If the Order is serious about this, they need to be able to accept orders not just from me, but also by my fellow leaders, Sirius Black, Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom. There cannot be any second guessing of anything I may direct." Harry said.

Harry and Dumbledore just sat there quietly for several moments.

"Professor, are you still going to be a part of the Order, or should I say will you also be joining the Guardians of Light?"

"Yes, Harry. While I may be passing over leadership to you, I can not just sit back and watch as the fight carries on. I will not be a spectator, and I shall do everything within my power to help you accomplish what no one else has managed to do, defeat Voldemort."

"When can I get out of here?"

"Madam Pomfrey shall be along shortly. I had to send your friends out of here so you and I could have this conversation. They should be waiting for you in Gryffindor Tower."

"Can I ask a favor?"

"Of course." answered Dumbledore.

"I need you to call for a meeting of the entire Order. Have them come to Hogwarts. I will be calling in the outside members of the GL, and with the current Guardian students, we shall all have a meeting together. They need to know who they'll be fighting with."

"That is a very wise decision. Tuesday night, 7:00. Now, here comes Madam Pomfrey , so I will leave you to her care. Until Tuesday." And with a swirl of his cloak the Headmaster left the Hospital Wing with a renewed spring in his step, as if finally relieving a giant burden that had been weighing him down.

Several months had passed, and another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been completed. The last couple of months had been eventful, both in a positive and negative way. The Order had successfully integrated with Harry's Guardian's of Light, and now combined they had a force of close to a hundred very capable members.

While things were looking up in that regard, the Wizarding World was still being held in the grips of darkness. Dementor sightings had been increasing, while Remus had reported that the Werewolves were starting to become more brazen with their attacks. Another breakout from Azkaban had been hushed up by the Ministry, one of Fudge's final acts before being kicked out of office. Voldemort's numbers kept swelling, along with rumors dark wizards from the continent had come to join his side. Harry was starting to feel frustration set in.

The night before the train was would be taking the students home, Ginny found Harry atop the Astronomy Tower, staring out on the twilight in thoughtful silence. Linking her arm through his, she stared up into his face.

"What's going in that head of yours, Harry Potter?" She asked.

"Too much. It's all so overwhelming at times." Harry answered.

"Do you mean with the GL?"

"That, and just with everything in general. I hate responding to attack reports, just to find out we're too late. I hate knowing that so far the only thing we've been able to do successfully is take care of the victims. He's out there, Ginny, and he'll continue to be until I can finally do something about it." he told her as he turned to look into her eyes.

Without thinking, Ginny reached up, grasped his chin, and crashed her lips into his. This was the last thing Harry was expecting, so it took a minute for what was going on to sink in. Once it hit him that she was kissing him, he pulled his head back.

"I'm sorry Ginny, I can't."

"Why, Harry? Why not."

"I can't be selfish, and I can't give you false hope. The Wizarding World is depending on the Boy-Who-Lived. Right now, I can't focus on anything besides that. Until all of this is resolved, I can't allow myself to be distracted from my task.." He said before turning away to continue to stare into the night sky.

"Harry James Potter. You are going to listen to me. If anyone deserves to be happy, its you. You've done nothing but sacrifice yourself for those you care about, and even those you don't even know. That is why I love you. Not because of some silly Boy-Who-Lived bollocks. Its true, I had the biggest crush on you without knowing you. Since then I've gotten to know you, the real Harry Potter, not some silly girl's fantasy. Never once have you faltered from what you believe to be right. Inside you, there's an inner strength that no one on this planet can match. You at least deserve to know that there is actually someone who is love with you for you."

"Ginny, I can't tell you how much I really needed to hear that. I have to confess to you. This past year I really noticed you for you. Not as Ron's sister, but as Ginevra Weasley, and I like what I saw. We have grown closer, and I can honestly say that I'm falling in love with you. As I've sunk into my brooding moods throughout the year, you're the one that slaps me out of. When I've needed someone to talk to, you've been there for me. The thought of what you and I might have is, I have to selfishly admit, is one of the main driving forces pushing me."

"I can't lead you on. To be honest, I can't guarantee that I'll see the end of this war."

Don't say that. You'll do it, Harry." Ginny interrupted.

"We have to be realistic. The prophecy says only one of us may live. That means the other will die. There's the fifty-fifty chance right off the bat that it'll be my number called. I can't get into a relationship with you knowing there's such a great chance I won't be returning from the Final Battle. The way things are going right now, the odds are more in his favor than mine."

Ginny was crying, but kept quiet.

"Something needs to be done. I'm not leaving on the Hogwarts Express tomorrow. Sirius and I are leaving. Ron will be taking over leadership of the Guardians. The odds need to be balanced, and that's what we must do."

"Take me with you." Ginny started.

"NO!'' Harry snapped, before she continued. "I can't endanger you like that. I don't know how long we'll be gone, as long as it takes I imagine. You're one of the best fighters the guardians have. Losing Sirius and I, they'll need all they can get. Also, as long as you're here, I have a reason to return." Tilting her head up towards him, he looked into her eyes.

"One of my biggest fears right now is that if this were to end in my favor, I'd no longer have a purpose. Ever since I learned I was a wizard, hell, ever since I was a child, I've done nothing but prepare for that final showdown. I love you, Gin. You give me that reason to see this through to the end. I really do want there to be an us. I want to have you. But I just can't. Not until this is over." Not being able to look at her anymore without wanting to breakdown, Harry started to walk inside to prepare for his departure. He paused in the doorway.

"Wait for me, Ginny." Harry pleaded.

"I always have been." was her reply. As he disappeared from her view, she couldn't help but murmur to herself.

"Congratulations, Dumbledore. You have your weapon."

A/N : I apologize. I'm not good at writing sappy stuff.


	10. Vigilantes

_Chapter X: __**Vigilantes**_...

Harry woke up earlier than everyone else the next morning. He wanted to head out and apparate to Potter Estate before the students made it to Kings Cross. The goal was to be away from the Estate, the current station for the leaders of the Guardians of Light, before Ron and the others returned. With the summer break starting, the Weasleys and Grangers were going to be staying at Potter Estate. It was the safest place for anyone, and also made it more convenient for when GL duties came up.

Leaving the doors of Hogwarts for what could very well be the last time, he made the short walk out of the grounds and passed the boundaries of the school's wards. Apparating away, he returned to his home. Sirius was waiting.

"So, you sure this is what you want to do?" Sirius asked. He had been directing Dobby and Winky on what rations to give them. Neither of the two men knew when they would be returning.

"Its not a matter of what I want to do. It's what has to be done. Voldemort needs to be defeated. His followers need to be stopped. The rate things are going now, that will take years, if ever. Someone needs to step up and take care of business. No one can equal my power and skill, and with your advancements since the Veil, I'd say you're around the same level as Dumbledore himself. There's no one better suited to what I have in mind."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, my young friend. Let's pack and get a move on. Sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back. This whole Dark Lord thing is seriously cutting into my social life." Sirius joked.

"Hmmm...I always thought that the whole Azkaban thing, or better yet even dying itself would have been the biggest drag. But I guess I was wrong. Sirius without any ladies...what a shame." Harry responded.

The two shrunk and packed enough supplies into two backpacks charmed to magically expand inside, easily fitting anything they might need. The Weasley twin's new inventions, a magical tent, two broomsticks, and Harry's cloak all found a place within the packs. As the Hogwart's Express pulled into Kings Cross station, two black motorcycles left the Estate, and Harry and Sirius were gone.

3 months later...

It had been a hectic summer for Ron Weasley. Following Harry's guidance from before he took off to who knows where, Ron did his best to lead the Guardians of Light. The main goal was to set up a series of safe houses, much like Number 12, Grimmauld Place had been. Any victims of attack, or those rumored to be targeted where taken to these locations for medical attention or safekeeping. St. Mungo's or even the Ministry were out of the question, it wasn't clear how far Voldemort's spies reached.

Albus Dumbledore had been a great help. Passing on some of his wisdom from leading the Order, he helped Ron catch any mistakes before he made them, but still let Ron run things the way he saw fit.

No one had heard from Harry or Sirius. It was like the two had disappeared from the Earth. Occasionally several sightings were rumored, usually taking place right after an attack was thwarted. The strange part was that the Guardians weren't the ones doing the thwarting. responding to alerts, they would arrive onto the scene only the attacking Death Eaters already knocked out or dead, left waiting as if they were Christmas presents just waiting to be unwrapped. While many theories were being tossed about, Ron knew Harry's mission was at least marginally successful.

It had been a hectic summer for Harry and Sirius. Nights were spent in shady bars and taverns, always under disguise. People seemed to talk more freely when alcohol were involved. Several low-class attack plans were given up by suspected Death Eaters when drunk. Using this information, the two of them were usually lying in wait for the attack's arrival, and so far had prevented any loss of life while capturing handfuls of Death Eaters. It wasn't much, but if things kept going as they were, it could make a big difference in the long run. The odds very gradually were evening out.

One of the pair's first stops had been Azkaban Island. With the Dementors going over to Voldemort's side, and the limited number of Aurors needed elsewhere, the prison had been left over. The last of the dark wizards had returned to Voldemort's service the same time the Dementors had left.

Walking through the dark corridors, Harry could feel the despair and misery still lingering in the air. Even though he hadn't wanted to come, he felt it necessary. He needed to get a sense for the escaped convicts. Feeling the auras they had left behind, he was feeling a deeper understanding of what drove them to do what they did. While on his journey through Azkaban, he made sure to avoid the cell Sirius spent twelve years in. That was one road he wasn't prepared to travel down. Harry's mission completed, Sirius was more than happy when they left the island.

Sirius was starting to become worried about Harry. The young man had become like a man possessed, dedicated to nothing but completing the mission. Harry was beating himself up pretty badly, frustrated that despite their efforts they weren't doing enough. Sirius personally couldn't see how they could do anything more. Every night they were in a different tavern, hitting up suspicious characters. A new town every other day. Sleep was a rare commodity between the two of them. The hours of the day were either spent in taverns, out scouting known Death Eater houses, or acting upon information they had gathered. Almost a dozen attacks had been prevented by Harry and Sirius, many lives saved in the process. And yet, Harry still felt like it wasn't enough.

September 1st was rapidly approaching, and for the first time in almost seven years, Harry wasn't preparing himself to return to Hogwarts. He knew that the time for schooling had long since passed. There was nothing left for him to learn from school. He could no longer pass the time with Quidditch and Hogsmeade visits. He was where he was needed, out there doing something. He couldn't return to school, not when he was feeling a great sense of apprehension and anticipation through his connection to Voldemort. Something big was in the works.

It had been a hectic summer for Lord Voldemort. Leaving nothing to chance, he had sent out minions to step up recruiting. Having control over the Dementors and Werewolves, more dark creatures were needed. Envoys had been sent out to bring the giants fully under his wing, and so far the vampires were becoming more and more interested in what he had to say. He'd promise them anything they wanted to hear, in the end it mattered not. Once that insufferable brat Harry Potter had been defeated, there was truly nothing that could stop him and his plans for domination. Harry Potter was the key.

Harry Potter was a constant thorn in his side. Voldemort had not been foiled into believing the Veil was going to be the end of the boy. Partly cause he knew the boy had escaped seeming death once before as nothing more than a boy, but also partly due to the selfish belief that it was to be by his hand that Harry would meet his end.

So far, the Dark Lord had held back from launching any large offensives. The rout at the Department of Ministries, and then the failed attack on Hogsmeade, Voldemort had seen that overwhelming force was needed. Dark wizards from as far out as Russia had been brought in to supplement his numbers. Despite the increase in his supporters, he had noticed a series of losses suffered. Several Death Eater teams sent out to just to randomly pre-appointed targets had failed to return. Voldemort knew that somehow Harry Potter was involved, he just couldn't figure out how. As far as his spies knew, Harry had returned for the summer to the protection of his Aunt and Uncle's house on Privet Drive. Something had to be done.

"Bellatrix, Lucius." He summoned two of his top lieutenants.

"My lord?" They responded simultaneously.

"Something must be done about the Boy. My domination of the Wizarding World will not be complete while he still lives. I suspect the muggle-loving Dumbledore (he spat the word out as if it was poison) and his Order of fools helping him. We need to draw him out. This is what I want you to do...

The attack on the Ministry came without warning. One minute people were going about their business, the next they were running for their lives as a swarm of masked Death Eaters appeared in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic.

"Team one, secure the lifts! Team Two, head up to level one." Bellatrix ordered. Two groups split off from the rest to complete their tasks. Lucius and Bellatrix had arrived at the Ministry with close to a hundred Death Eaters. While the two teams went about their separate missions, the seventy remaining attackers took up positions to ambush the Floo fireplaces. They were counting on Potter showing up, and saw that as his most likely course of entrance.

Harry was jolted by his revere as his watch started going off. Knowing Ron had explicit instructions to only contact him in dire emergencies, it had to be something big. he looked the watch's screen.

_Ministry under attack. Guardians of Light being deployed._

Grunting to himself, he kicked Sirius awake while donning his Dragonhide battle robes. The two had been out late night at a tavern, trying to draw out more information from any loose-lipped Voldemort supporters. Passing the message onto Sirius, Harry prepared a portkey to take them directly to the Ministry of Magic.

"_**PORTUS**_"

The portkey ready, Sirius placed a hand onto the glowing plate. A familiar tug behind the navel, the two were off to battle.

Harry and Sirius appeared at almost the same instant as the Guardians of Light arrived. Expecting a ragtag Order tumbling out of the Floo with Harry in tow, the Death Eaters, they weren't prepared for fifty, plus two, battle-ready wizards materializing right in their midst. A wave of Reductor curses, with several more powerful spells coming from Harry, Sirius, and Dumbledore, were fired within the first two seconds. Significant gaps were opened within the Death Eater ranks.

Lucius watched on as the mass appearance degenerated into smaller, more intense individual fights. Bellatrix was making her way towards Potter, hoping to distract him long enough for the Death Eaters to gain the upper hand. Lucius smiled to himself. So far, everything was reasonably going to plan. Pressing his finger to the Dark Mark tattooed on his left forearm, he sent the signal his master was waiting for.

Upon arrival, Hermione had taken the time to set up anti-apparition and portkey wards. No one would be escaping from this battle.

Ron had ordered Neville to take a group of fighters to retake the lifts. Upon reaching Level One, they had taken out the group of Death Eaters on that floor. It wasn't in time though. Minister Gregory Stoutfire, Fudge's replacement, along with his support staff had been killed.

Dumbledore was in the process of dispatching three Death Eaters at once, when a buzzing seemed to go off within his head. A sense of dread filled him, knowing what that buzzing meant. Quickly dropping the three opponents to the floor, he made his way to where Harry and Bellatrix were tangled up in a wicked light show.

Stepping up to be equal with Harry, Albus sent a powerful expulsion charm. Bellatrix was sent flying back to crash into a nearby wall, buying the Headmaster a precious moment to speak to Harry.

"Harry, you must go." He muttered quickly.

"Go where? I can't abandon everyone here." Harry retorted.

"This is not the true target! It's a distraction. An alarm I had set up was just set off. Voldemort is at Privet Drive."

Harry was torn. Part of him hoped the Dursleys got what was coming to them, it was less than what they deserved for what they had put him through. Despite that, he knew he couldn't just leave them to their fate. His entire purpose was to protect the innocent, no matter who it was. His Aunt Petunia was the last living link to his mother. Making the decision, he growled in frustration, and left Dumbledore to take care of Bellatrix.

'_Sirius, we have to go! Voldemort's gone after the Dursleys.'_

'_Umm...I don't know if you've noticed, but there are wards in place. We're not going anywhere.'_

'_Get your ass over here._' Looking over to where he thought Harry was, he saw a Black Phoenix with the brightest green eyes flying his way. Realizing the plan, Sirius reached out and held on to Harry's tail feathers. With a flash of fire, the two were gone.

Reverting directly onto the front yard of Number 4 Privet Drive, Harry saw Voldemort standing in front of ten of his Death Eaters, who were holding the Dursleys at wandpoint.

"Ah, Harry Potter. How lovely of you to join us." Voldemort antagonized.

'_I'll take the big man. Free them._' Harry thought to Sirius.

"How pathetic of you, Voldemort. If you wanted to chat this desperately, all you had to do was ask." Harry responded to the taunt as the two began to circle each other.

Noticing the attention had drifted off of their captives and towards the circling combatants, Sirius apparated directly between the three Dursleys. The distinct smell of feces was coming from Dudley, apparently the frightened teen had soiled himself. Waving his wand, clearing the mess away to avoid getting any on himself, Sirius directed Petunia to wrap her arms around his neck, while taking the two males by the arm. He apparated again, taking the four of them to a safer location fifty feet away.

Harry sensed what Sirius was doing. Playing the part of distraction, he began unleashing spell after spell in the Dark Lord's direction. Soon Harry was put onto the defensive as Voldemort started returning his fire. He managed to either doge or shield himself.

"Is that the best you've got, Tom? I've seen first-years with better spellwork." Harry was trying to buy time, knowing as soon as things were cleared up at the Ministry Dumbledore would be headed here.

"Don't call me that name! Tom Riddle is dead, and Lord Voldemort has taken his place to become the most feared Wizard ever. Now, let us see who really is the better here." And with that, the two were joined in battle.

Sirius was being kept busy. The Death Eaters had soon realized that they were no longer guarding anyone, and attempted to retake the Dursleys. Sirius had managed to drive them back, even further away from their targets, but ten on one was never good odds.

Harry barely noticed Sirius' struggle. All of his attention was focused on Tom Marvolo Riddle. Unleashing the full extent of his power, Harry was doing all he could to avoid being struck by one of the many spells sent his way.

"_**REDUCTOR**_!" Harry fired at an unguarded spot. Voldemort was struck on the thigh, and retreated back several steps in surprise. Someone had actually scored a hit on the dreaded wizard, and drawn blood too. Harry took the opportunity to glance over at Sirius who was managing to hold his own. It would only be a matter of time before Dumbledore arrived.

Time seemed to slow down as a green bolt missed Sirius but continued on to where the Dursleys watched on in horror. Barely thinking, Harry did the only thing that came to mind and apparated right in front of his relatives. Sirius could only watch in horror as the killing curse struck Harry high in the chest. Harry flew back several feet and collapsed in a heap. Sirius barely noticed the manic laugh coming from Voldemort, or the remaining Death Eaters running by him and to Harry's body. He was frozen in shock at what he had just witnessed.

Soon after Harry had left the Ministry, Bellatrix and Lucius had escaped using the Floo's the Death Eaters had been guarding. With their departure, it was just a matter of mopping up the leftovers. Once the last had fallen, Hermione had quickly taken down her wards. Dumbledore gathered Ron, Neville, Ginny, and five others. With a quick "PORTUS", they took off for Privet Drive.

They appeared at the Dursley residence in time to see Voldemort apparate away. The four remaining Death Eaters had each grabbed hold of one of Harry's limbs. With a loud crack, the four had departed, carrying the body of Harry Potter.


	11. Snape's Tale

_**Chapter XI: Snape's Tale...**_

Pain. That was all he knew. For him, nothing else existed. He couldn't even count how many bones felt broken, or how many open cuts covered his body. He couldn't even properly focus a thought, as nothing but pain clouded his mind. Never once before had he been in such agony. He was alive, but in that moment it meant nothing to him.  
--

Sirius had been tearing himself up at the loss of Harry. It took Dumbledore ages to have him come back to Potter Estate. Upon arriving back at Harry's house, he locked himself up in his room and hadn't been seen in a week. Everyone else only knew he was still there from Dobby bringing up his meals, most of which came back un-eaten.

Ron wandered around the place like an inferi. The Wizarding World had lost their best chance of survival with the fall of Harry. It was no longer a matter of if but when would they all lose.

Ginny felt like her heart had been ripped out from within her. Before it was different, a lack of body when he came back through the Veil had let her naively fool herself into thinking he'd be coming back. She had turned out to be right, which made this time so much worse. She had seen Harry's body, so limp and empty, being carried away by the Death Eater's.

Hermione was at a loss. Her brother had been taken from them. Their leader struck down. For once, there were no books to turn to for the answer, no amount of studying could bring him back. She had never felt so helpless.

Albus Dumbledore tried his best to be strong. With the loss of Harry, and Sirius's reaction, he was the one everyone was turning to. He couldn't mourn for the boy he saw as a grandson, he just didn't have time. Too many people were counting on him.

With the murder of the Minister and his support staff, it hadn't taken very long for Voldemort to make his move on fully taking over the Ministry.

--

He emerged from his pain-induced stupor.

"Drink this, it'll you help somewhat." said a voice, strangely familiar.

"Wha..." was all he managed to slur out before a potion was pressed to his lips and poured down his throat.

"You have several hours before you come again. I have to admit, I've got a newfound respect for you. Any normal person would have died weeks ago from the constant torture you've endured through. I must go now, I can't have them suspect." And with that the voice left him. The pain welcomed him back.

--

The return to Hogwart's was miserable. The day before, the Daily Prophet had run a front-page article, confirming the news for those that didn't know.

_**Boy-Who Lived, Killed By Dark Lord**_

_Harry Potter, the defeater of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named over a decade ago was killed just over a month ago. Sources claim his death had been hushed up by a group of outlaws, rumored to be called the "Guardians of Light", hoping to inspire the rest of the Wizarding World to rise up. Defending his muggle relatives, Harry Potter was struck down by the feared Killing Curse..._

It felt all too real for Ron. There would be no theatrics during the opening feast. Sirius and he would not dramatically walk through the door. Harry was gone, and he just didn't know what to do about it. The only good note for the year was that the greasy git Snape hadn't returned to teach Potions.

--

Several times over the course of who knows how long, the voice had returned. Each time a potion was forced down his throat, and each time he felt a little bit of energy return to him. Slowly, his magic was building back up. Having made it this far, he would not give up now.

--

The Guardians of Light were taking losses. Now having Harry out of the way, Voldemort considered himself practically invisible. Attacks and raids had been stepped up dramatically. It was only a matter of time before Hogwarts itself was marched on.

Escaping the massacre of the Minister and staff, Percy had returned to the Burrow trying to make amends. Joining up with the Guardians of Light, he had been killed in an ambush gone awry.

Oliver Wood had been out trying to recruit more members. A Voldemort supporter heard him. Oliver' had been killed in his sleep.

More accounts of losses were coming in. It seemed that with Harry gone, so had the will to fight. Something had to be done, Ron just didn't know what.

--

"Welcome back to the living." the voice whispered to him.

The pain was being blocked with one potion, while another was temporarily increasing his energy level to a fighting level.

"I have to come with you. After this, they'll know the truth about me. Big plans are in store for your friends. If we hurry and get out now, we should make it in time. Are you ready?"

Strapping his wand into the holster wrapped around his forearm, he just nodded. Knowing he'd be feeling worse when the potions wore off, it was now or never.

--

Christmas break was beginning, and the students were making their way down to the Hogsmeade train station. Ron had mixed feelings. It would be the first Christmas without Harry since before he had started school.

Walking down the trail, screams pierced the chilly air. Ron ran down the trail, Hermione and Ginny at his heels. Twenty-five Death Eaters had been lying in wait. Several students were already on the ground. Caught by surprise, the three of them were all quickly stunned.

Ginny came to, tied to her brother and best friend along with several others. It had to be only a matter of moments since she had been stunned. Several feet away from them was another group stunned, and passed them the Death Eaters were just finishing up tying another group. No warnings had gone out, the Death Eaters had worked the details out perfectly.

"Look at these...seems we got Potter's best friends here." shouted one of the masked men while pointing at Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. The gang whirled around to focus on the three.

"Hmm...master would pay greatly for those. Shall we take them?"

"I do not believe that would be a wise idea." said Severus Snape, appearing suddenly behind them.

"Why's that?" replied the first.

"Because, that would really piss him off.

"Why would our Lord be angry about giving him three new playthings?" Asked an evidently confused Death Eater.

"Not Voldemort, you idiot. Him." Snape spat out.

Pointing behind them, they whirled around again, just to be struck high in the chest.

"_**REDUCTO! REDUCTO! REDUCTO!" **_Three beams took out three targets. A robed man stepped into view, firing curses faster than Ginny could follow. The Death Eaters were quickly being overwhelmed by a single man.

"_**DIFFINDO! ESPULSIO**_" A Death Eater had his head cut clean from his body, while the explosion curse took out five others.

Snape fired several curses into the Death Eaters. Stunning two, his use of the cutting curse had disabled three more.

The robed man attacking the Death Eaters had chased the remaining Death Eaters.

Seeing the coast was clear, Snape began untying the other two groups and directing them back up to school. The hooded man approached where Ginny was sitting, and used a familiar wand to cut the rope. Standing, she asked him.

"Who are you?"

Pulling off his hood, he could only laugh.

"Forgotten me already, Gin?" The grinning face of Harry Potter replied.

--

An hour later, Harry was sleeping in the hospital wing while Madam Pomfrey was doing the best she could.

"Broken bones...deep... lacerations...severe Crucio exposure...extensive internal damage. How he's alive, I don't know." The nurse was heard muttering between incantations as she worked on Harry's damaged body.

Ginny couldn't find the words as Snape had carried Harry up from the village. The potions master had been expecting the collapse and was ready for when the potions wore off. Upon reaching the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey went to work. Dumbledore and the others had been ever-present by his bedside. Once Harry had been stabilized, he directed Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Snape to accompany him to his office.

"Well Severus," the Headmaster started, once they were all seated. "Might I ask what has been happening these last few months, and how has Mr. Potter returned to us?"

Severus leaned back into his chair, preparing for the long story.

"I guess it all starts back at Privet Drive. The Avada Kedavra that struck Harry was not fired by Voldemort. It didn't kill him. He was in a world of pain, no doubt about that, but he was still alive. Harry was taken to Malfoy Manor.

I could not return. I was the only one in any position to help the boy. I couldn't abandon him, so I chose to entrench myself further into the Dark Lord's inner circle.

Voldemort knew that with Harry out of the way, there was no one left to stop him. He tasked only his most faithful to watch the boy.

I can't begin to describe how terrible the first few weeks were. I wanted to throw up, seeing what they were doing to him. They tortured him mercilessly. Each Death Eater had their preference. Bellatrix with the Cruciatus curse, Lucius and his weird fascination with knives, while MacNair preferring a club.

I'm amazed that Harry lasted as long as he did. A full month had passed before I had any access to him. I managed to slip him some potions. They aided his energy recovery and began the healing process. The torturing waned down as time passed, it seemed they'd had their fun. The potions were taking greater effect every time I got some to him.

Information came to me about the Death Eater plans for the Christmas break. Seeing as I couldn't leave to let you know, I knew it would fall to me to save the students. There was only one person I could count on to help me. I managed to get more potions to Harry, building up his energy levels to a point where he'd be in some kind of shape to help.

Earlier this morning, I setup the chance for us to escape. Slipping some dreamless sleep into the drinks at breakfast, the Death Eaters guarding Harry were knocked out. I gave him some several potions, one to block the pain, and another to give him a temporary boost in power. Smuggling in his wand and Cloak, I escorted Harry out of the Manor.

We arrived at Hogsmeade just in time, and Harry quickly chased away the attackers. They will know now the part I had to play in all of this. The short battle had quickly burned away what little energy Harry had left. Seeing the students back up safely, I brought him here."Snape finished up his recounting of events.

Ginny and Hermione were crying freely, each of them clutching onto a sobbing Ron.

Dumbledore just started pensively across the desk.

"Severus, you've truly amazed me. I can't begin to tell you how grateful everyone is. The Wizarding World has hope once again."


	12. Planning

_A/N: If you're gonna leave a review, at least give me a way to respond. That anonymous review was just silly. The information he challenged me on was absolutely wrong. If you're going to try and correct me, at least make sure you're right in the first place. As to the whole "talking to a brit to get the language and slang down", I guess I forgot to mention that while I currently live in Cleveland Ohio, I was born and raised in Rotherham, England. If I'm going to talk to a brit about language, who better than myself?_

_**Chapter XII: Planning**_

Harry woke up, still feeling the aches and pains of his months-long torture. At last it was finally over. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny came walking in.

"Hey mate...how you feeling?" asked Ron.

"Like its easier to list where it doesn't hurt." answered Harry.

Ginny gave him a hug. "Its so great to have you back. If you had really..."

Harry stopped Ginny right there, he really wasn't ready to deal with any emotion.

"I can only imagine. Its just so great to finally be back."

"It's so good to have you back. Professor Snape really proved us wrong about him." chimed in Hermione.

"Yeah, I owe the greasy git a lot. While they weren't going to kill me, with what they were doing, I wish they'd have done me a favor and just finished the job."

"Don't say that, Harry. If you were to die, it would only be a matter of time before everyone follows. There's no one else that can defeat Voldemort." Hermione reprimanded.

"Don't get on his case, Hermione. We couldn't possibly begin to understand everything Harry's been through. Lets give him some peace and quiet so he can get some rest. We'll be back to see you in the morning." Ginny said. She kissed Harry on the cheek, then ushered the others out of the room. Harry closed his eyes and fell into a fitful slumber.

_'__You're lucky we don't get to kill you, Boy.' Lucius sneered at him. 'The Dark Lord believes you can be swayed to his side. Voldemort and Potter, ruling the world. Well, until that day comes, I'm going to enjoy this.'_

_He felt the knife ripping into his flesh, could do nothing but scream in pain. _

_'Aw...poor ickle baby Potter. Where's your Mommy to protect you now?...CRUCIO!' Bellatrix repeatedly used her curse of choice, giving Harry the feelings of knives piercing him from the inside out. _

_MacNair was just as bad, only not as vocal. The club would swing and a sick thud could be heard as it made contact with Harry's flesh. _

_Voldemort's voice rang through his head. _

_'Join me. Together we can rule the world. No one will stand against us, the two most powerful wizards to ever live! Join me!'_

Harry jolted awake choking back a scream. The memories of what he'd been through were invading his dreams, keeping him from sleeping for any significant length of time. Through it all, he was just glad that he was the one captured. It would kill him to know any of his family or friends would have had to go through what he did. Despite the torture, he knew that he'd go through it all over again if it meant sparing those he cared about from a similar fate.

Harry lay there staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop having the events replay in his head

"_Stop feeling sorry for yourself, you mardy sod . So things didn't go according to plan. Pick yourself up, and lets figure out how to end this.."_

Harry was so out of it he forgot that Sirius was always in his head.

"_Oh, so sorry Sirius. You're right. I guess I just missed the part of you jumping in front of the Dursleys with me, and maybe I was just too distracted by Voldemort's hospitality to notice you there beside me. Prick ."_

_'Relax, I'm almost there. I came to Hogwarts as soon as I heard you were back, but Dumbledore made me wait until you were fully awake.'_

Sirius bounded into the room, and quickly reverted back into human form. The two physically beaten down men stared at each other for a moment, then Sirius pulled Harry into a massive bear hug.

"Since you've been gone, I've been trying to hold the line, but without you, there really is no hope Squirt. We need a new plan."

"When it comes to plans we need Ron. No one things strategy like him. We'll let him sleep though. Come to think of it you should get some shut-eye too. You look like hell."

"And who do you think you look like, the Queen of bloody England? Heed your own advice."

"It's so nice to be back."

Sirius laid down in the bed next to Harry in the hospital wing and fell asleep. Harry continued to lay in his bed. He couldn't get a good nights sleep, but managed to doze in and out. Having a comforting presence next to him helped him feel at least a little calmer.

* * *

The next few days were sort of a blur for Harry. He had visitors frequently coming in and out and all of his attempts at escape from the Hospital Wing were foiled by the ever-fussy Madam Pomfrey. Though he was touched by the plaque she had placed above his bed.

_This bed reserved for:_

_HARRY POTTER_

All of the people visiting him served as a reminder. He knew he had to keep up the fight against Voldemort, not for himself but for all of them. Once he was finally able to stand and walk under his own power Dumbledore suggested Harry going back to the dorms. The Headmaster thought having being back in such familiar surroundings be more comfortable than the dreary hospital wing. That night, Harry settled in to his old bed and strangely felt a little better.

"Thanks for coming back mate. It just wasn't the same without you." Ron called out from his bed as they laid down for the night.

"It's not like I left on purpose. So, do you know if the Dursleys are ok? It's weird, I spent my whole life hating them. Even in that moment and I found myself taking that curse for them, part of me thought that I should let them get what they deserve. I couldn't do it though."

"They're doing alright, I guess. Dudley went off the deep end after they took your body. Turns out, he didn't really hate you. Your uncle was his usual self, my mum tried to go over there and talk to him, but he refused. The Grangers helped out a lot though. Since they were muggles, your uncle would at least have a conversation with them. In a way, I think he learned more about magic from them then from us."

"Dudley doesn't hate me? Never woulda guessed it. Anyway, we have to meet with Sirius to figure out where to go from here. Being a leader of the Guardians, you have as much a say as anyone else."

"Get Sirius to come meet with us."

'_First thing tomorrow, Room of Requirements' _Harry thought to Sirius as he tried drifting off to sleep.

Harry laid there, listening to the other blokes as they slept. There were three other guys in their and Ron still managed to drown out everyone else with his snoring. Several minutes had passed, when Harry thought he could hear footsteps. Looking through his bed's hangings, he was pretty sure. He was surprised when Ginny appeared right in front of him.

"Ginny, what are you doing here? And why do you have my cloak?" Harry asked as she handed it back to him

"I kind of "borrowed" it while you were gone, I tended to go for long walks at night and needed the benefit of not getting caught. I think Dumbledore knew though, smart man he is. Anyways, I wanted to see you alone, well as alone as we can be." She answered.

"Why what's going on?"

"I just needed to do this."

Ginny sat on Harry's bed. Reaching over, she caressed his cheek for a moment, then slowly she began to kiss him. He tried resisting her, but her body felt too warm, her lips felt too soft. Time seemed to stop and the passion of the kiss kept growing. It took Harry a moment to realize he had lost control of his hands, Ginny's shirt was halfway off. He pulled back.

"Ginny are you sure about this?"

"No, well yes." She looked away hiding a blush, then turned back to him once her face had settled down. " I want you Harry, I want all of you, but not like this. I know you will be my first, last and only, but not with my brother in the next bed and other boys over there. I didn't even really expect to kiss you when I came here. I just wanted you to hold me. I don't remember the last time I felt safe, but I know it was with you. I know I can't be your girlfriend right now and I'm not going to ask to be. When I saw what you did for the Dursleys, I mean they treated you like shit, I could only imagine if it was me. I mean, you fought a Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets for me and that's before we ever really knew each other as people. If what I feel for you is at all how you feel for me I get it…"

"It is." He interrupted. " Trust me. You have no idea what it's like to be away from you. More importantly, you have no idea what it means to me that you understand why I have to be. It's like there could not be another woman more perfect for me than you. I could conjure her up my idea of a perfect woman, she wouldn't even come close to you. I'm not as eloquent in my words as you are, but I love you too."

"Oh Harry, I would never want you to be anything you're not because I already love you as you are - eloquent or not. I just want to lay here in your arms. The world isn't safe anymore, but here, just for tonight, I want to feel it."

Harry snuggled down into bed with Ginny in his arms. He watched her as she fell asleep. The weird part was, as much as he was comforting her, he was also feeling safe and peaceful. AS if for the first time in very long time, there was right in the world. He felt his eyes falling, and for the first time since before his capture, he truly fell asleep.

* * *

"Ginny Weasley! Mum would bloody kill you if she saw you in here. What are you doing?"

"Well good thing she's not here then, Ron!" Ginny answered as she blinked herself back to consciousness.

"Harry, did you just shag my sister while I'm in the same bleedin' room? I can ignore you snogging my sister, but this?"

"Ron, we didn't do anything. I wouldn't do that to your sister, I mean with you right there. It wouldn't be right. Plus, like I need to be thinking about that all the time. You know where my focus is."

The door opened and Hermione came in followed by several more girls, all looking to see what the commotion was. Hermione looked at Ginny.

"Ginny, what are you doing? You are going to get into big trouble."

"Seriously, Lord Voldemort is out there, Hogwarts probably isn't even safe anymore, and you're worried about me sneaking into Harry's room and not shagging his brains out. I think your priorities are a bit out of whack. Everyone can mind their own bloody business and bugger off. And as for you Ronald, grow up. I am not a baby anymore and I can make my own decisions. Not having you present when I lose my virginity is one of those decisions."

Ron turned bright red and threw the covers over his head. Ginny turned to Harry and pulled him into a very deep kiss. With one last glare for everyone, she stalked out of the room. The other girls slowly followed suit.

"Mate, I'm sorry I just saw and I thought and I didn't want to think but it was there and…"

"Ron, how about we just don't talk about it, ever."

"Right. Let's go meet Sirius in the Room of Requirement."

Quickly changing, once they made sure there were no more girls lurking, they made to leave the room. They were stopped at the door by.

"Where you guys going?"

They had to think fast, they weren't ready to include the others yet.

"We just have to go finish talking this out in private. My sister and me are close, and Harry and my sister are close and I have to make the lines clear."

"Oh, ok. Well, let me know when there's something I can do." Neville replied before turning back to catch some more sleep.

"Yeah." They both mumbled as they walked out.

They made the walk in an awkward silence. Harry stopped Ron at the entrance to the RoR.

"Ron, I thought we weren't going to mention that ever again?"

"It was the first thing I could think of, I don't really want to talk about it."

"Good." Harry sighed with relief.

Walking into the Room of Requirement, they saw Sirius already inside waiting.

"I'm still amazed at how this place eels exactly the same as when I was a student here. Well, lets get straight to it. Any ideas of where we go from here? I mean obviously fighting Voldemort in a muggles front yard was not the best idea, even if they are magically related."

"Well being tortured by some of the meanest bitches in the world helped me realize something: they don't fuck around. I mean, it's a lesson I've had to learn over and over again, but it feels more real now. Before, I didn't have every one of them coming at me with me being defenseless. The end is going to be between Voldemort and I, but getting to that point has been a nightmare."

"I know that Harry, we all know that. Hermione and I have been with you since the beginning. Sirius has been fighting for this since before we were born. We aren't afraid of that."

"You don't understand it Ron. They don't care. They will kill you in a second with no regret. They would even kill every member of your family with you watching just for shits and giggles. Voldemort wants me to join him. Wants me to help him rule the world with dark magic. How do you think that makes his followers feel? Those who waited for his return, and those that went to Azkaban?"

"Wait Harry, stop right there." Sirius interrupted with a shocked look on his face.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Voldemort wants you to rule with him?"

"I'm getting to that. That's why they couldn't kill me. Voldemort knows the prophecy. He's starting to become afraid of me, but also can't resist it. Partnering himself with someone who's power rivals his is like his wet dream. I mean really if you think about it, if we came together, no one could defeat us since we are the only ones who can defeat the other. He sees it as an insurance policy."

"Then why don't you?"

"What?" It was Harry's turn to give Sirius the shocked look.

"Join him. Get in nice and close, stand by his side, right before you stick a knife into it." answered Sirius.

"You can't be serious.

"I am..."

Your _Sirius,_ we know" Ron cut him off. "Let me get this straight. You want Harry to turn from the light, join the epitome of evil, and just go along for the ride?"

"No Ron, that's not what he's saying. I'm pretty sure he's saying Voldemort has given me the opening I need to get to him. There's no better way to defeat the Dark Lord then for him to think I'm his friend, his equal. Think about it, with Snape rescuing me, we've lost our inside source. We need another one, why not me?"

"He'd be watching you better than he watched Snape, how would you get information back to us?" Ron asked, thinking he had found a flaw in their logic.

"How quickly you forget. Sirius and I can still communicate. You're the only other person to know about it, so there's no way for anyone else to know. The tighter I get in with Voldemort, the more I learn his weaknesses, what makes him tick."

"Why would you need to know that?" Ron asked.

"Because if you know how a person works, its easier to figure out how to stop them. Sirius is right, this is what I need to do." Harry finished up.

"Ron, Harry, this is important. We can't tell anyone our plan. The girls would be too worried and try to make you stay. Others would want to try to go with you. Everyone here has their own duties and we don't want to throw anyone off their game. And heaven forbid, but if we have a traitor among us, Harry's a goner. The less that know that better."

"Agreed. I don't like keeping things from Neville, Hermione or anyone else, Ginny especially, but the more people that know, the bigger risk of this fucking up. Nothing is going to happen until I'm back to full strength, I'll need to be able to stand a chance against him when it comes to that. But at least now we have a direction." Harry stood.

"Sirius, go gather the outside Guardians. Have them training non-stop. Once Harry's in close, they'll need to be ready to go at a moment's notice. We'll only have one shot at this." Ron ordered. "Harry, do what you need to do to be ready. I'll figure out how we're going to make this happen."

Ron was interrupted by his stomach growling.

"After breakfast of course."

_A/N: I owe this entire chapter to Karpie. Without her, this chapter probably would have never happened. At least until I finally got off my lazy ass, and who knows when that would have been._


	13. The Limits of Friendship

**Chapter XIII: The Limits of Friendship**

Two weeks had passed, and Harry never thought this would never had happened. here he was, standing five feet away from Lord Voldemort, Tom Riddle himself, and they weren't pointing wands at each other. In fact, Harry's wand was pointed elsewhere.

"Now see, young Harry. I can't just let anyone walk into my inner circle and expect me to greet them with open arms." Voldemort was saying. "Your rescuer, Severus, has led me to lean on the side of caution. A little task has been setup for you."

At his words, several Death Eaters came into the circle. Stopping in front of Harry, they deposited the loads they were carrying at his feet. Slumped in front of him, Harry saw three teenagers, all of them wearing robes with the Hogwarts crest on them.

"These three "lost" students were picked up in the village of Hogsmeade. I do believe you know the place. To be at my side, there will be things you will have to do. Things that probably wouldn't sit well with you, if you weren't truly committed to the cause. Just one thing I require, to help me "believe" that you really are genuine with your choices. Kill them." Voldemort's last words, while said in a pleasant manner, left Harry little choice in the matter.

Harry stared into the eyes of the Dark Lord for a moment. Stepping up, he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do.

_**"AVADA KEDAVRA!" **_

* * *

Leaving their meeting with Sirius, Ron and Harry headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. They walked in silence, each reflecting on the decision that had just been made. Greeting Hermione, who was already at the Gryffindor table looking over her Charms notes, they sat down and absentmindedly piled food onto their plates.

Hermione could tell something was wrong. Harry was barely picking at his food, and Ron's famous appetite was also missing.

"What's wrong with you two?" asked Hermione.

"Is this still about this morning? Grow up Ronald." chimed in Ginny, sitting down and joining the three.

"No. We talked about it, we're passed that." replied Ron.

"Well then, what is it?" Hermione pressed.

"I talked to Sirius this morning. Things are still looking pretty bad out there." Harry interjected before Ron could say something he wasn't supposed to.

"You can't take it so harshly, Harry. It's not your fault. It's Voldemort's. No one elses. Well, besides his followers I mean." Ginny tried comforting.

"It's not that easy. What would you understand? You're not the one everyone is looking for to come strolling in to save the day." Harry snapped, before quickly standing and walking away from them. Ginny's face started to cloud with anger, but Ron stopped her before she could chase him down, and probably try to kill him.

"Let me, Gin." he quickly said and walked after Harry before she could argue. He soon found Harry, slumped against a wall with his eyes closed.

"Oi mate...what you playing at?" Ron asked.

"It's got to look real. I can't just up and show up looking to join Voldemort." Ron still flinched at the name. "We have to make it convincing. Which means I have to start distancing myself from all of you."

"Ah...so you didn't really mean it, then?" Ron asked, half catching on to what Harry meant.

"Not really. Well, I do still feel responsible. But I know there's nothing I can do about that. The sooner he's gone, the sooner I can focus on moving past all the guilt I carry."

Pushing off from the wall, Harry continued his trek upstairs.

"So, now what?" Ron shouted after him.

"Tell them you couldn't find me." Harry called back before turning a corner and disappearing from view. Ron shrugged his shoulders and headed back to the others.

Arriving back at the table, he noticed Ginny crying and Hermione trying her best to comfort her, with Neville, having just sat down, just looking lost at the situation.

"Do you think it's because of what happened? Do you think he's mad that we didn't sleep together?" Ginny thought out loud.

Ron felt like a ball of ice had formed in his stomach. He didn't know how to feel. He was confident Harry knew what he was doing, but he wasn't sure if everyone could handle the ramifications of his choice. Ron knew this would kill Ginny, she would think it's her fault. Even though he still wasn't comfortable with the thought of Harry and his baby sister, he liked less what the two not being together was doing to Ginny.

"Aw Gin, I couldn't find him to ask him, but we all not Harry's not like that. Harry's never been one of those guys. In fact, not sleeping with him probably made him respect you even more. Besides, the stress he's under, he probably wouldn't have been able to get it up anyway."

Ginny busted out in more tears. Hermione slapped Ron in the back of the head.

"Ronald, you're not helping you insensitive oaf." Hermione chided him.

"I was just trying to make her laugh." he defended.

"I get that, but the day you understand girls is the day I grow a beard."

Ron and Neville walked away. He didn't know what was worse; the fact that he couldn't help his sister and that Hermione rubbed it in his face that he doesn't understand the opposite sex.

"Does she forget she's a witch? She can grow a beard any day she chooses." Neville mused to himself.

Walking into the Gryffindor common room, Ron found an armchair furthest from the other lingering students and sat there deep in thought.. He knew he had to follow the plan, but he felt helpless. As the other students started making their way to whatever classes they had, Ron was too preoccupied to notice Harry sitting down beside him.

"Is she ok?" He asked, interrupting Ron's though process.

"She thinks you're mad because she wouldn't um, ya know…" Ron answered.

"Are you serious? This is going to be hard. It's one thing to distance myself from everyone, but its hardest when it comes to Ginny.."

"Well, are you sure it's what you have to do? Are you sure they can't know? I mean sure they'll probably try to talk you out of it, but they'll understand why you have to do it." Ron tried once again to talk him out of it.

"They can't be told. WE both know they'll try their best to stop me from going. I don't have a choice. Joining Voldemort will give me the clearest shot at him. And if I'm in the inside, I can do my best to prevent any future attacks." Harry took a breath before continuing on.

"Everyone has to focus on what they need to do. Ginny is a tremendous fighter, but she needs that push to become even better. Being pissed at me is going to be her motivation. You've seen Ginny when she's fired up. Also, do you think Hermione will be able to concentrate on her healing if she knows I'm off having tea with the Dark Lord? No, she couldn't. Neville is the only one I can see understanding, but no one else can know."

"I just don't feel right about lying to them, especially Hermione. I mean everything we've been through she's has been right there beside us."

"I'm not happy about it either, Ron. Look I don't know how much alone time we are going to have before I leave. So you know, you're the person I'm going to start with last. That's the signal that I'm about to leave. So just remember, I don't mean what I say. You need to step it up once I leave and do the same thing Sirius is doing on the outside. Have the Guardians here at Hogwarts step up the training. As much as possible, because we don't know how soon after I leave they'll be needed."

"Alright. When you go, just be careful. Out of the three of us, someone has to say it, and it definitely isn't going to be you or Sirius." Ron said with a grin.

Harry looked at Ron. He knew he meant it. He could tell Ron still had reservations about the plan, but was his best friend and would follow him to hell if he asked it. Harry knew he could never say that to Ron, but knew he got the point.

Neither of them thought the situation could get any more awkward, right around the time Hermione and Ginny walked in. Ginny took one look at Harry and walked right passed him. Harry felt like he was getting a swift punch in the gut, but he knew he couldn't crack. Hermione look at Ginny as the younger girl kept walking, and was about to go after her, but Ginny waved her away. She wanted to be alone.

"That was mighty pretty cold," Hermione started. "Harry Potter I would have never thought you would be the guy to do that. I get that you're under a lot of pressure, but what's new? We both know you can't do this alone, you'll get no where without your friends. Remember, the difference between us and them is we have something to fight for."

"Hermione, we're not the same. You have a choice in the matter. You can leave at any time, go and hide out until all of this is over. Remember, _"Neither can live while the other survives"_ . I have to do this. I didn't see your name on the prophecy."

Harry felt like he was going to throw up. He saw the tears welling up in her eyes, but he knew he couldn't take it back. He had to be over the top.

"Harry, stop it. Why are you doing this? We are your best friends. Ron and I have been here from the beginning. We fought with you by your side, we would never leave each other."

Harry couldn't believe what he was about to say.

"Hah. Always by my side? Where was everyone else when I stood face to face with Quirrel? Where were my friends when I took on the Basilisk down in the Chamber? There was only one other person that went to the graveyard with me, and he's dead." Harry paused for effect, but wasn't done yet.

"Speaking of you and Ron, when are you two going to get your act together? I'm sick of having to deal with your petty little arguments just because you're both too proud to admit what everyone else can see. So lighten up, get a room, and just snog each other already."

Ron looked at Harry. He knew why he was doing it, but he couldn't believe he had crossed that line. Hermione could no longer hold her tears back. Her face became really puffy and she stared straight at Harry.

"Harry James Potter. You have been one of my best friend since we got to Hogwarts. You have done a lot of stupid things, but this, this is unforgivable. And I don't know what you are talking about. We are all just friends. But I'm not sure about you and I anymore."

It took everything in her to speak just to get out the words. She wanted to punch him. She couldn't believe he'd put all of her apparently not-so-secret-feelings like that out on the table like that, especially with Ron standing right there. She had never acted on her feelings because she still wasn't sure.

Hermione was too proud to leave the room. She did not know what to do but just sit there. Everyone was trying their best not to look at each other. Ron was speechless. He glared at Harry. He was so angry, but he knew he couldn't yell at him. Harry wanted to die. He wanted so badly to run to Hermione and apologize, but he couldn't.

"Well, if we're done here." Harry stood up and stormed out of the common room. He walked to the Room of Requirement. It became a small, soundproof room with a lock on it. He screamed as loud as he could, screamed until his throat burned with the strain. He knew he was doing what he had to do, but it was little consolation.

Dinner was a quiet affair, with half the group still not talking to Harry. Ron and Neville sat by Harry, but Ginny and Hermione were at the other end of the table. Hermione and Ron silently gazed at each other before quickly looking away when they locked eyes. They hadn't spoken after Harry's outburst so they were still murky on how the other one was feeling.

"Mate, I know what you are doing, but that was just cruel." Ron whispered.

"I know, but I needed to get her where it hurt the most; her heart."

"You really think she feels that way though? I mean we have all been friends for ever."

Harry looked at Ron. He knew that Ron was trying to play this cool, but he could see how Ron really felt inside.

"Ron, is this the right time for you to finally question that? Yes I do think she fancies you. What I said about you two not being there was bollocks, I couldn't have done it without you two. But I meant what I said about you two."

"Oh...right. Well, cheers."

Walking into the Great Hall, Draco could see the division over at the Gryffindor table. Smirking to himself, he walked over to Hermione and Ginny.

"What, did Potter finally have enough of his favorite little mudblood!? Pretty soon, sitting at the end of the table will be the least of your worries." Draco left the implication open.

Seeing what was going on, Harry felt his hands turn into fists under a table. He looked up at Ron, who had just stood up. Looking down, he glanced at Harry and knew that he'd be alone in this. Knowing what Harry was choosing to do, he left him and walked over to stand beside Hermione's seat.

Harry felt helpless. He knew this would be the final divider between Hermione and him. If he would stand up for her now, she may eventually forgive him. Sitting here, she would believe he turned astray. Ron saw this as a vital moment for himself too. He did have feelings for Hermione, and saw this as his chance to prove it to her.

"Malfoy, you stupid prick. Hermione is smarter than you will ever be. She could turn you into a speckled newt right now if she wanted to, but unlike you, she's not a complete dollshead. Hermione is the kind of person you could never be. Shut the fuck up before I make you."

"And here comes poor Weasley, defending the honor of a mudblood. You blood traitors are all-alike. Do you really think that you are going to win? We both know who'll turn out victorious in this war. The Dark Lord is stronger, wiser and has powers you'll never even know about. We'll always beat you Weasley, especially since I've seen your competence with a wand. Or don't you remember "Eat slugs"?

The Slytherin table laughed at his last comment. Malfoy had his evil grin on his face. Ron just stood there. He looked right into Malfoy's eyes.

"Who said anything about using a wand?"

"Huh?"

Malfoy realized what Ron meant as Ron's fist came crashing into his face. Malfoy fell onto the ground and laid there as a hush fell over the Great Hall. Ron stepped over Malfoy, making sure to step on his prone body. Ron caressed Hermione's shoulder as he passed her, and walked right out of the Great Hall. Hermione had a huge smile on her face. Quietly Harry sat alone, proud of Ron but ashamed with himself.

In the Slytherin common room that night, Draco nursed an icepack over his broken nose and a black eye. He couldn't bear the shame of having to go to the school nurse. Draco couldn't understand how Weasley got the best of him, and Goyle was not letting him live it down.

"You got the shit knocked out of you by Weasley. I mean not even by Potter. They're both weak, but Weasley is a joke!" Goyle said out to Draco while laughing.

"He caught me off-guard, that's all. Besides, there's something that's bugging me about that. Where was Potter? Something is going on. Potty's been fighting with everyone and acting strange. He's been acting like, well, me. Yelling at mudbloods and ending things with the Weaslette."

"Maybe he's just had enough?"

"Maybe. I mean I would be, but I'm sure something else is going on."

Harry couldn't sleep. He hated what he was doing. He tossed and turned all night.

_'I think it's time. The Guardians of Light stepped up the training. They're all wondering why. I just told them that something big is coming up and we need to be ready.'_

_Well, Padfoot, at least something is going right. I'm ready. The sooner I get out of here the better. I don't know if I can keep this up without breaking.'_

_Well, you have gone a little over the top, pup You want them to fight with you in the end, not try to kill you._

_'I believe they'll see the bigger picture, and hopefully they'll forgive me when all of this is over.'_

_'I'm just glad you're on my side, I'd hate to think what'd you say about me.' _

_'Shut up. This is hard enough as it is without you being a jackass.'_

Harry noticed the sun rising, so got up with it. Going for his usual morning jog, he tried mentally preparing himself for what was about to come.

_'How the bloody hell do you get ready for something like this?' _He thought to himself. He knew he wanted it to all be over, and he had to do this before that could happen. Then he could be happy again: with his friends, with Ginny.

Entering the Great Hall for breakfast, he noticed Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Neville were already sitting together. He was not quite sure how he was going to do this. He sat down next to Ron.

"Harry, I'm not sure the ladies of the table want you here." Neville said, trying to be the peacemaker.

"Fine. Ron are you coming with me?" Ron looked up. Seeing the look on Harry's face, he could tell the time had come.

"No Harry. I'm not. I'm sick of you being your bullshit. Look we get it, you're the bloody "boy who lived" and the weight of the whole magical and muggle world is riding on your shoulders. You are the only one who can beat He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. We get it, you just need to get over yourself. We try to stand by you always, no questions asked, but you need to stop making everything about you."

Harry stared at Ron. He knew Ron was picking the fight he needed, but was still a little taken back on how easily Ron said it.

"I need to get over myself? You are the one who sits there all "boo hoo, my life is so unfair", getting mad because you are always out shadowed. Grow up Ron."

"Oh, won't you bugger off."

"Fine. Since that's what you want, I can't take this anymore. I'm sick of this shit, and I'm sick of all of you!" Before anyone could say anything else, Harry had already left the Great Hall. Walking through the entrance, he didn't stop until he had passed through Hogwarts gates and the boundaries of the wards. Taking one last glance back up at the castle and all he was leaving behind, he took a deep breath, turned away on the spot, and was gone.

* * *

"_**AVADA KEDAVRA!" **_

Three times Harry fired a killing curse, and each one hit their intended target. The light seemed to leave the eyes of the "students", and Harry knew they were dead.

"I must confess, I didn't think you had it in you." Voldemort commented at Harry's seemingly carefree murdering. "After this, the world has no idea what is in store for them. Come, my new friend. We have plans to make."

With this, Voldemort and his Death Eaters apparated away. Harry took one last glance around before following.

"Well, that was quite a show, don't you think?" Sirius said to Ron, as the two left their hiding spot and began the walk over to the place Harry and the Dark Lord had just vacated. They had watched the scene play out through the Omnioculars Harry and Ron had picked up from the Quidditch World Cup.

"At least we guessed right on the test Harry would be facing." Ron pointed out.

Sirius squatted down and began to literally pull the skin off of the face of one of the "students". The layer came off, revealing a completely unfamiliar face underneath. Ron did the same to another, and soon the two of them had made short work of clearing the decoys of their disguises.

"Yeah, it is. Or else we'd have wasted time capturing these three Death Eaters for nothing." Sirius said.

"These muggle prosthetics worked out great. I've got to thank Hermione for telling me about all those muggle movies she's seen. And she thinks I don't pay attention. Hah."


	14. Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

_**Chapter XIV: A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing...  
**_

Life at Hogwarts hadn't been the same since Harry left. Everyone was in shambles. Ginny cried a lot, but fought harder. Everyday she got stronger and more in tune with her powers. She wasn't quite sure what Harry was up to, but she knew in her heart it wasn't about her. After all, they weren't together for a reason. The Guardians as a group were training harder than ever. They had no idea what was going on with Harry, but they wanted to be ready if he came back, or worse, if he didn't.

They were united until the headlines started in the Daily Prophet. Panic was beginning to set in within the walls of Hogwarts. Ron was torn. A part of him wanted to tell people that it wasn't real, but he knew that he couldn't. There was only thing he could do, he had to talk to Sirius. Getting a hold him was a lot harder to do without Harry's gift of instant communication. He told Dumbledore he needed to use his fireplace in his office to contact Sirius. Ron still felt a little weird telling Dumbledore what to do. He didn't abuse his rank as a leader of the Guardians, simply out of respect for the older wizard , but felt that in this case it was a necessity. Using the floo, Ron managed to get a hold of Sirius and have him meet him in the Room of Requirements.

"Sirius, the news is starting to leak, about Harry on the Dark Side. I think I've come up with a way to convince most of the Guardians not to give up. Most don't know the prophecy so for them while it is a blow, its not a crippling blow. We have to take full control, step up to the forefront as the leaders in Harry's absence. They have to know hope is not all lost. We can just tell them to keep fighting, defending the ideals Harry set forth when we started the GL. We can still win. As long as just one person is left to fight for what they believe is right, then we can never lose. And just maybe, we can convince Harry to come back on our side. However, as far as Hermione, Luna, Neville and especially my sister, they all know that Harry is the only one that can defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They aren't going to believe that Harry just got up and joined Him and if he did there is no way for us to beat them."

"You make some fair points. Most of the Guardians are strong, good with their wands, but we have been smart enough to know they can't know everything. The inner circle is the ones we have to worry about because they know everything, except the big thing. They aren't going to want to believe Harry could do this. So we have two options: we tell them or we find a way around it."

"Well if we tell them now they are going to be pissed we didn't tell them to begin with. The girls are going to think it's too risky. I never really got why we couldn't tell them until now. We really do all have our parts and this is going to throw everyone off. I think we just have to tell Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna that Harry obviously is just lost, and that we have to keep the faith that he can be saved. We have to stay strong and keep fighting so when it comes down to the fight, we can try to get him back."

"And what if Neville or Ginny tries to go after him? They are strong and while I don't want to say reckless, they're reckless…"

"Well Neville is brave, but he can be trusted to see the logic behind it. We can't go after Harry when he is sitting next to You-Know-Who. As for Ginny, we'll just have to hope Hermione can calm her down, cause I really don't know a reminder of how little I understand girls. When it comes to my sister and Harry, I'm the last one she will listen to."

"Ok. That's the best we can hope for. Just remember Ron: you can't falter, you have to remain the focal point for everyone else. The successful completion of this plan rests in your hands. If any of them suspect you know something you are not telling them, the shit is going to hit the fan."

"I know, we all have our part right?"

"Right."

Ron and Sirius shook hands and walked out of the room. The first thing Ron went to do was to call a meeting of the Guardians. Everything was going according to plan. He was actually surprised at himself at how motivational he could be. It was all running smoothly until Hermione stood up and looked him in the eyes. She knew something, he was certain.

"Ron, I say we move this meeting to the Room of Requirements. I'm sure everyone has some more training they could be doing."

"Good call Hermione, good call.. We'll meet there in ten minutes." Everyone started to make their way to the seventh floor, but Hermione beckoned for Ron to stay behind, and gestured for Neville, Ginny, and Luna to hang back as well.

Ron was getting nervous, he was going to have to face his best friends alone.

"Ok sure." He said, while damning Harry in his head for leaving him in this position.

Hermione waited while everyone filed out of the room; she passed the time by pacing back and forth.

"Ronald, you can't be serious about this. You want us to keep going when Harry is on the Dark Side now? You know as well as I do that he is the only one who can beat him. And after his outbursts or whatever you want to call them, I'm having doubts as to whether he's Harry anymore."

"What do you mean?" Ron said, confused.

"What if Voldemort is controlling his mind? I mean, I don't believe Harry would ever really be evil. The way he was acting before, that's not Harry, it's more like Voldemort."

Ron didn't know how to respond. He was afraid his tone or words might trigger something. He knew how smart Hermione was and that she could tell if he was lying.

"The more reason to fight for him." Neville said in a determined voice.

"I agree." Chimed in Luna.

"Obviously same here." Ginny said.

They all smiled at each other in agreement and walked together to the Room of Requirement. Hermione looked at Ron suspiciously. She thought something was up, but for now had little choice but to acquiesce to the situation. Ron sighed with relief, happy that it had worked out better than he had expected.

* * *

So far everything had been going along according to plan. Leading several raids, Harry had managed to secure needed supplies for Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Several muggle banks had been robbed, all after hours so there would be no innocent casualties. Grocers and apothecaries were also targeted.

The Daily Prophet had been having a great time with all the new stories they were writing. Their proclaimed "Chosen One" had let himself be seen leading the masked men.

_**"Chosen One Gone Dark!"**_

_**"Boy-Who-Lived Becomes Boy-Who-Betrays"**_

Those were just a few of the headlines written about Harry. While he hated the thought, it helped reinforce Voldemort's opinion that Harry truly had turned.

The most daring of his raids had been the one on Diagon Alley. Making sure Sirius had warned the Weasley twins to take a day off of work, Harry's Death Eaters swept into the magical shopping center on a scare mission.

"Three minutes. Then we're gone. Anyone stays longer, they face the Aurors on their own." Harry shouted to the Death Eaters as they appeared in the middle of Diagon Alley, as he started the timer on his watch. The masked attackers spread out, looks of glee on their faces. Stores were set on fire, shoppers sent scurrying. Harry just stood back and watched. His insides burned, he couldn't stand the sight but needed to do this. he had made sure the Death Eaters knew that no one was to be harmed. He had convinced them that the hit to public morale would have a greater impact.

Staring at his watch, Harry counted down the remaining seconds. '2:56...2:57...2:58...'

"Group, disburse!" Harry commanded once three minutes had been reached. The Death Eaters around him apparated back to where they came from. Stores were left in ruins. No one was in sight, having retreated into whatever safety they could find. Shaking his head, Harry was dismayed at the destruction he felt responsible for. The time came for him to leave as the cracks of arriving Aurors began. Turning on the spot, Harry returned to continue in service to the Dark Lord.

* * *

Time was passing, and the training was increasing. They learned more spells and practiced until they excelled at them. Sirius was doing the same thing on the outside. Most of the Guardians saw Harry as nothing special, confident that they could match him in a battle. Sirius and Ron did nothing to quell this arrogance, it worked well at keeping everyone from abandoning the cause. His best friends continued on with the belief that Harry had just been possessed, and that served ad their motivation to continue fighting. That is what Ron wanted, them to believe they could win. It killed him inside to not tell everyone the truth, but the plan was working so far, so why ruin it.

Sirius definitely had the better end of the bargain, he could still talk to Harry everyday. Ron and Sirius met frequently, sharing updates about the Guardians, but since people were usually around, the subject of Harry was rarely a topic. Ron mostly knew how he was doing because of all the bad things he read about in the Daily Prophet.

* * *

The second Battle of the Burrow had been raging for over an hour already. Harry was seething. His first task from Voldemort, and the evil bastard had him leading a large squad of Death Eaters on the home of one of his best friends. Watching from a nearby hilltop, Harry directed his team. The one good thing about being in charge was he had restricted his followers from using any of the Unforgivables. His reasoning was captives would be better than corpses.

"Move three men to the left, we're starting to weaken there." Harry directed to his subordinate.

Things were pretty even. Using their link, Harry had been able to give Sirius well enough notice to evacuate the Weasley's and have some Guardians of Light members laying in wait. For all intent, it looked like nothing more than the Death Eaters choosing to attack at the same time a Guardian of Light meeting was taking place.

The Death Eaters were taking some losses, while the Guardians were holding their own. Harry was proud at the force he had helped create. Of course he couldn't show it.

"Damn them. When is the resistance going to crumble?" Harry moaned out loud, trying to stay in character.

"Sir, it looks like reinforcements are arriving for them." The closest Death Eater pointed out to Harry. It was unnecessary, Harry felt them arriving, and was dismayed to see Ron, Ginny, Neville and several other Hogwarts Guardians enter the scene. He was torn, as much as he had to stay in the Dark Lord's service, he couldn't let his friends be hurt. In an instant, his decision was made.

Pointing his wand high into the air, Harry cast an anti-apparition/anti-portkey ward. Now there would be no more new arrivals, but also no one shall be leaving unless he personally let them.

"Sir, what need is there for the ward?"

"Simply put, no one shall be leaving today." Harry reassured him, right before pointing his wand at the Death Eater and ripping him in half with a high-powered Reductor curse.

Harry had made his decision. His friends' lives were more important than anything else. And if he moved fast enough, no one would be able to get word back to Voldemort. His mind set, Harry went to work.

_**"REDUCTOR! STUPEFY! EXPULSO!" **_Three curses and three Death Eaters fell to the ground. Moving on, Harry noticed Ginny surrounded by four Death Eaters. She was holding her own, but was stuck using only defensive spells.

"_**REDUCTOR! REDUCTOR!" **_Coming up behind the group, Harry cut her attackers in half, allowing her the advantage she needed to dispose of the two left. Whirling around, she saw where her help was coming from. A look of shock came over her face.

"Harry!?" Ginny exclaimed.

Not having the luxury to stop and chat, Harry threw her a sly wink before moving on.

With Harry joining the battle, the Death Eaters stood no chance. It was only a matter of time before every single one of them was struck down. With Harry's ward in place, none could escape.

Collecting a breath, Harry surveyed the battleground while remaining aloof from the Guardians. Through some incredible act of fate, the Burrow was left mostly intact; only the windows had been shattered and the hedge surrounding the house was in flames. Several Guardians were in the process of dousing the fires with water. All of the Death Eaters were incapacitated. There would be no one to return with Harry to reveal his treachery.

_'Good work. This would have gone on for a lot longer, and may not have turned out so well for us if you hadn't decided to join in.' _Sirius called to him.

_'The whole reason I'm doing this is to prevent my friends from coming to harm. I couldn't just stand by and watch.' _Harry responded while taking down his ward.

_'I need you to do something for me.' _Harry told Sirius.

_'And that is?'_

_'You're gonna love this. I need you to hurt me.' _Harry said.

_'WHAT! Are you out of your mind.' _Sirius voice rang out in disbelief at what he was hearing.

_'Think about it. I return to Voldemort with my entire force defeated, and I'm standing there without a scratch. I need you to hurt me so I can pass this off as an overwhelming ambush.'_

_'Damn it, and damn you too while I'm at it.' _Sirius relented.

Sirius apparated to where Harry was waiting.

"Are you sure about this?" Sirius asked.

"Yes. Now do it quick, I can't linger for too long. And you have to make sure that no matter what, none of the Death Eaters here can escape. I can't afford for my cover to be blown before we're ready."

"I got it. Well, here goes. _**REDUCTOR**_" Sirius low-powered Reductor caught Harry in the abdomen, breaking several ribs and leaving a bleeding gash on his chest.

"Great." Harry gasped out, grimacing at the pain. "PORTUS" Harry pointed his wand at a nearby branch, turning it into a portkey.

"Well, I'll be in touch." Harry quipped as he wrapped his hand around the branch. With a tap of his wand, the familiar tug behind his navel came and Harry was spirited away.

Staring at the spot Harry had just disappeared from, Sirius couldn't believe the balls of his Godson.

Arriving back at the Dark Lord's headquarters, Harry used a weak healing charm to set the ribs and at least close the wound. Walking into Voldemort's throne room, Harry kneeled before him.

"My Lord." Harry started. "It was a massacre. The Guardians of Light were holding a meeting at the target. We walked right into overwhelming opposition."

"And yet, you managed to return to me. Why is that, young Harry?" Voldemort questioned, doubt obvious in his tone.

"Through sheer skill, my Lord. It is a testament to my power that I'm the only one left to return to your service." While explaining himself, Harry felt the tingling in the back of his mind as Voldemort was trying to use Legilimency to probe him for the truth. Shunting the truth behind his mental shields, Harry pushed forward thoughts of Death Eaters being struck down, and made sure to include the last image of Sirius wounding him. Your other, weaker followers never stood a chance. Dumbledore himself was present."

"That muggle-loving fool. I can see not even you escaped without a scratch. Go, rest my servant. Heal and sleep. You must be ready, for once you are healed, revenge shall be sought." With this last command, Harry took his leave and returned to his quarters. Stripping off to take a shower, Harry waved his wand and finished the mild healing charm he had started. He looked forward to nothing more than a warm shower and a long nap.

* * *

The attack on the Burrow had been Ron's first true test of Ron's belief in the plan. Sirius had alerted Ron and the other Guardians, and Ron was furious when he had received word. It was bad enough that he attacked Diagon Alley where his brothers' shop was, but now had literally attacked his home. The one place that he had brought Harry to be part of his family.

Arriving at the Burrow Ron had noticed Harry begin fighting for them. He was relieved to see the faith he had for his best friend hadn't been misplaced. While he knew that this was their plan all along, deep down he had the fear that Harry really was going to turn evil. He knew how powerful Voldemort was and he knew Harry was strong too, but all this time with all that evil; it was nerve-racking.

Returning to Hogwarts, Ron tried to be aware of all who had seen Harry, and fretted about how he was going to have to explain this now. Harry might be the one with the Dark Lord, but Ron felt like he was the one in hell. He hated lying to his friends. Everyone went to dinner and for the first time he could remember, Ron chose to skip dinner. Laying on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, he closed his eyes and tried figuring out how to talk himself out of this mess. He thought he was alone, but he heard someone standing behind him.

"I know Ron."

"What?"

He sat up and saw Ginny standing there.

"I know about it all, I think. I never really believed Harry was possessed. He's way too strong now for that shit. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew he wasn't being himself. At first I thought it was because of me, but after seeing him pick fights with everyone I realized it was something far bigger than that."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ron said but could hear the falseness of that statement in his voice. Ginny wasn't a fool.

"Ron, don't be stupid. I know you. You've been acting strange too since he left. Plus, after that fight you guys had, you think I'm going to believe you would fight for him right off the bat if you thought he meant all those things." Ron never thought about that. He just assumed people were too worried with their own fights that they wouldn't remember the one he had. Plus, once everyone thought Harry was possessed, it was easy not to have to be mad at him.

"Well, Harry wasn't being Harry…"

"Ron, just tell me the truth, he's pretending isn't he? He thinks that's the best way to get to Voldemort, to team up with him. It's why we are training so hard, right? So we can be ready on his command. Plus, he saved me, back at the Burrow."

Ron gave up. He knew she knew. She's the one person Harry was probably dying to tell himself anyways.

"Ugh, fine. Yes Ginny, you're right. Harry's working his way to Voldemort's side so he can be in the best position to stop him. He's the one that let Sirius know about the Burrow being attacked. You have to swear not to tell anyone? Just Sirius and me know. We couldn't risk telling anyone else. The whole plan rests on no on knowing the truth."

"I figured as much. Since when do we have meetings at home. It was good, we needed to meet with the outside Guardians, but it was our first real meeting. How does Harry tell us when those things happen?"

"Um, Ginny I can't tell you all this stuff. You figured out Harry's plan and that's more than you should know."

"Ron, I would die for him if I had to."

"I know and that's exactly why I can't tell you any more information."

Ron lay back down. Ginny kept pestering him to tell her more, but he just ignored her until she went away. Ron went back up to Dumbledore's office. It was the easiest way for him to speak with Sirius.

Dumbledore was feeling terribly out of place, he wasn't used to being left out of the loop. He was concerned with Harry and Voldemort, but he had faith in Harry, Ron and Sirius. He had a good idea from the beginning that this was their plan, but he had given over the reigns of power, so he wasn't going to interfere. He gave Ron a nod from the doorway, then left his office to give Ron his privacy.

"Sirius, Ginny knows."

"Did you tell her?"

"I more like verified. She pinpointed everything and plus Harry saved her at the Burrow so she knew he wasn't possessed or anything."

"That's fine, as long as she knows she can't tell anyone. Being your sister and Harry's love, I'm pretty sure she's not going anywhere."

"Yeah."

"So I think its almost time. The outside Guardians are ready and Harry is getting restless. How are the Hogwarts' Guardians?"

"As ready as they can be. We've been training nonstop since this whole thing started. Hermione has her healing section and has researched all sorts of new spells for protection and combat."

"Well, I'm going to let Harry know its time to drop the hammer."

"And where is this supposed to happen?"

"Ah my young friend, there's only one suitable place for something of this magnitude." Sirius responded. He laughed at the confused expression on his face, and closed the fireplace connection. He was sorry he would miss out on Ron's expression once he figured out where he was talking about.

* * *

_'Did he buy it?_' Sirius queried, early the next morning.

_'Yeah. He probed me, just like I expected. I fed him false images, well all were false except the one of you wounding me. I felt like he rather enjoyed seeing that._' Harry responded.

_'Well, as long as it helps. by the way, the gig is up for Ginny. She saw you, and put two and two together. I made her swear not to tell the others_.'

_'Good.' _said Harry. _'We need to end this soon. His numbers are low after his little failure. We need to draw him out.'_

_'Well, I think its time we show Voldie what we have in store for him. Bring him out.'_

_'And where exactly am I supposed to send him?' _Harry asked.

_'Hogwarts.' _Sirius simply stated.


	15. The Key

**Chapter XV: The Key**

The bickering continued on, and Harry just sat back and watched with amusement. The Inner Circle the Death Eaters had been arguing back and forth for the last hour. They had been waiting for Voldemort to appear, so the next steps could be planned out. The jealousy and resentment most felt towards each other had been simmering and seemed to have boiled over, the waiting had really gotten to them.

Harry just sat back, half-paying attention to the adults bickering, half lost in his own thoughts. He was ready to get things going. He hated having to plan out every moment. It was something he had been doing since he was eleven, but had definitely heightened since he infiltrated Voldemort. He missed his friends and Ginny, and strangely even classes and normalcy.

Harry new that his next step was the most important. He had to figure out how to become the puppet master of the Death Eaters. Voldemort surprisingly was the easiest one to convince of his loyalty. The inner circle of the Death Eaters was starting to get restless, partly because they didn't trust Harry, the other part because they didn't like their master being so fond of him.

Harry began hearing a conversation that focused his attention. Across the table from him, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix were discussing that days Daily Prophet. It seemed that their latest antics were considered news-worthy. "See this one Bellatrix, I did that. I used poly juice potion and pretended to be her husband. They are so dumb." Lucius bragged about one of his latest muggle-torturing outing.

"Clever Lucius. This witch here, I just walked up to her and took her out her. Never saw it coming. She didn't seem worthy enough for me to toy with." Said Bellatrix pointing to the paper.

That was the moment Harry felt closest to blowing his cover. He could feel the vomit slither up his throat. On the front page of the Daily Prophet and under Bellatrix's twisted pointer finger was a picture of Angelina Johnson, his old Gryffindor Quidditch teammate and Fred Weasley's girlfriend. To say Harry was pissed was an understatement. Reminding himself he had come too far to ruin thngs now, Harry forced himself to remain calm. It didn't seem to work however, as Bellatrix noticed the turmoil going behind his eyes.

"What the matter Potty, did I piss you off? Kill someone a little too close to home." Bellatrix stood up and walked around the table, turning Harry's chair around so they were face to face, her wand tapping Harry's shirt above his heart.

"Don't fucking touch me, wench. No, Angelina was a bitch and was bad at magic." The lie stung Harry, but kept himself composed.

"Right, Potter, Draco told us all about how you are. You always hung around with blood traitors and mudbloods. you foolish Gryffindors always stuck together." Lucius interjected.

"Look Malfoy, I am not who I was. I'll be the first to admit it, I've made mistakes. I got on the train, and sat by the wrong people apparently. As far as being a Gryffindor, the Sorting Hat told me I would do great things in Slytherin. Being the naïve 11 year old I was, I wanted to be in Gryffindor. I belong right here where I'm at, apparently more than you so piss off."

"More than me? you have got to be joking!." Lucius argued.

"Well allow me to fill you in on some details you seem to be forgetting, Lucius." Harry spat out his last name.

"The first time Lord Voldemort and I met up, when I was a baby, where were you? With your head up your arse I'm sure, hiding. I have given more to Lord Voldemort and vice versa than you two could even imagine. My parents died for me, and Lord Voldemort shared his powers with me. Can you speak Parseltongue? No, I didn't think so. All you have done Lucius is attempt to re-open the Chamber of Secrets by using a book and a Weasley girl. Which by the way, you were defeated then. Who was it again that stopped you? Oh right, me. I have more to offer your master then yourself. I've always one-upped you and will continue to do so."

"How dare you talk to me like that? Why shouldn't I kill you on the spot?"

"Two reasons really why you won't. First, because I will outsmart you. Two, we are on the same side now, Lucius. I don't ever have to like you because frankly, I can see that you are worthless, but The Dark Lord thinks you are worth something. I don't get what he sees, but its his decision not mine. Your master has more faith in me then either of the two of you."

"Bite your tongue, Potter. I can see your points with Lucius, maybe, but really, me? I waited in Azkaban for the Dark Lord for years. I became a mere shell of myself waiting for his triumphant return. He has feelings toward me that you could never understand. "

"Give it up already, Bellatrix, he will never fucking love you. Your loyalty is true, I will admit, but really, you guys are supposed to be the lead Death Eaters. Six kids outmatched you back in the Department of Mysteries. Kids that I trained; that I trained secretly in between classes and everything else we had going on that year. So five students, including a mudblood and blood traitors, figured out a way to outmaneuver you until the rest of the Order showed up. What does that say about you?"

Bellatrix hesitated before saying anything. She looked like she wanted to scream, cry and kill all at the same time. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. She was used to cowering in fear, she wasn't prepared to handle someone actually standing up to her.

"Tell me Potty, do you hear your mother's screams?"

"What?"

"From beyond the grave. Can you hear her screaming? Poor Lily, that was her name right? She was murdered by Lord Voldemort's wand and here you are by his side, destroying everything she stood for. You are letting innocent people die, raiding stores and demolishing villages. If you parents could see you now, I'm sure they would be so proud. And what about my dear cousin Sirius? I'm sure he is really excited that you brought him back from the dead just to turn evil on him."

Bellatrix was staring deep into Harry's eyes. He could see that she was testing him, but it still struck a nerve in his core. She knew what she was saying would hurt anyone who had good in them. He knew she was waiting for the backlash, but he was determined not to blow it now.

For a few moments he thought about his parents. While he always thought of them, it always about how they would be proud of him, not about what they would actually think of him. He was sitting there at the table with the Bellatrix, the bitch that tortured Neville's parents and the same person who tried to kill his father's best friend. For the first time, Harry felt evil. He felt like his parents would be ashamed of him. He was deep in thought and didn't know how to respond to it. He knew he had to, but he didn't know what to say.

His thoughts were quickly cut off, as Harry felt a shadow come across his mind, almost as if someone was trying to read it...

"What the fuck Lucius!" Harry cried out and quickly threw Malfoy out of his head.

"I can see it in your face Potter! We will never be on the same side! You are just like Severus!"

Harry walked over to Lucius and threw him up against the wall. He knew he had to play this just right.

"I am nothing like that snake. I can't say I'm exactly mad that he is weak, seeing as I'm still alive thanks to him, but I am not a traitor. Get over it Lucius. Voldemort trusts me, so get over yourself."

"Stupid boy, Voldemort trusted Severus too, look how that worked out."

Lucius gave Harry exactly what he needed to get out of this Harry lowered Malfoy back to the ground, but kept him pressed up against the wall.

"Oh so now you are mocking your master's decisions. You are saying you're following someone who trusts the wrong people. What kind of follower are you? You have no loyalties Malfoy, least of all to Voldemort. You are loyal to no one but yourself."

Malfoy was enraged. He tried to push Harry out of the hold he had on him, but Harry was too strong. Harry held Malfoy and the tension was about to blow, when coldness came across the room.

"Let him go Harry." Voldemort said as he steadily glided across the room. Obeying, Harry let go of Lucius and let him walk away, suffering a stiff shoulder from the elder as he passed. Lucius went to stand next to Voldemort, who had taken his seat at the head of the table. but was stopped by the Dark Lord.

"Malfoy, do you consider me your master?"

"Of course Lord Voldemort," Malfoy said, bowing at his feet.

"Then why do you speak ill of me? You are in my headquarters, putting me down to my most trusted advisor."

Bellatrix sat there speechless, squirming when Voldemort referred to Harry as his most trusted advisor. Harry stood there, eyes locked on Malfoy, who seemed to sicken under Voldemort's gaze.

"My lord, I was simply pointing out about Severus…"

"You were simply pointing out my flaws? Or so you think that's all you were doing. If you think about it, I told you all that Harry would be left to me and Severus was the only one to keep Harry alive. Now, he is a traitor and will be dealt with in due time, but he indirectly brought us Harry. Malfoy, I am sick and tired of your antics and questions. You are not a loyal follower of mine."

"No, no master I am faithful to you only. I simply can spot out the fakers among us." Malfoy said looking directly at Harry.

"Silence! Harry has done more in his short time with us then you have since my return. I sent you to get him and the prophecy and you couldn't do that. You did try to re-open the Chamber and look how well that turned out. All you do is fail Malfoy, but I overlooked it. I overlooked your negligence to succeed because of your loyalty. That loyalty was shaken when you did not find me and put me back into power. But now Malfoy, your days are done."

"No Lord Voldemort. Please, no!"

_**"AVADA KEDAVRA!"**_

Lucius Malfoy's body collapsed to the ground. Harry was in shock. He had expected Voldemort to put Lucius in his place, but this was not something he had seen coming.

"Bellatrix, call for your sister and tell her I disposed of her useless husband. Make sure the rest of the Death Eaters know that I don't take a liking to people speaking behind my back. Also, if you respond to me, you respond to Harry, end of story. Anyone who does not like that can stop fighting our fight, even when we are so close to winning. Thank you for your loyalty."

Bellatrix rose and bowed toward Lord Voldemort. She looked down at the now lifeless body of her brother-in-law. She felt a little sad, but more anger toward him for doubting her Lord. She did not like Potter, but seeing as her master trusts him, so will she. She left the room, the rest of the Death Eaters following in her wake.

Harry found himself alone with Voldemort.

"Lord Voldemort, I have a question." "Ask, Harry." Voldemort responded.

"How did you survive? The night you relieved my parents of the burdens of life, I mean." Harry hesitantly asked.

Voldemort seemed to pause in thought, his hand slowly creeping up to the open top of his robe. Harry could distinctly see an amulet hanging around his neck, an emerald gemstone embedded in the middle, with the word 'Crystalus' engraved around the top. Before his hand actually reached the item, Voldemort jerked back to attention, and restored his hand to where it was had previously been, clutching the armrest of his seat. "That, Harry, is a secret that I cannot reveal. Many have died for the pursuit of what you ask. I so dearly wish not to have to kill you too." With a nod, Harry took that as a dismissal, and left before aggravating the Dark Lord.

_'Have Hermione immediately start looking up anything to do with amulets, necklaces, or jewelry that deal with the word Crystalus, I'm presuming its a Latin word.' _Harry thought to Sirius, returning back to his quarters.

_'Ok...I take it this is important?' _Sirius asked.

_'Potentially, it could be very important. It could be the key to defeating Voldemort for good.'_

_'I'm on my way to Hogwarts right now.'_

"The plan should be basic, have one team launch an attack on the Ministry of Magic. This shall be a decoy, meant to call out Dumbledore and the pathetic Guardians to rush to defend the government. One hour after that attack has commenced, my Lord, you take another team to simply walk into an undefended Hogwarts. Once Dumbledore hears Hogwarts has been taken, he'll rush back to his school's defense. We shall be waiting to greet him, and with the advantage of our position, and having the werewolves and giants to call on, it shall be a massacre." Finishing his plan for the attack on Hogwarts, Harry sat back down.

The Death Eaters were gathered again, this time actually making it to the planning stages without interruption.

"Seems to be a very sound plan, Harry." Voldemort complimented. Some final details will be needed to iron out, but overall I am impressed. Who shall lead this first time?" The Dark Lord asked.

"I will, my Lord. It will crush their hopes, having the Ministry attacked by what the Wizarding World considers thier one hope."

Voldemort laughed, enjoying the irony.

Call together the giants and the werewolves, organise the teams. We strike a month from today." Voldemort commanded. "One more month, then the world shall be ours."

Harry crept quietly out of the hideout, making sure not to alert anyone to his departure. Passing through the boundaries of the wards and Fidelus Charm, he glanced around to make sure no one was near. Seeing no one, he transformed into his phoenix form, and with a quiet burst of flames, was gone.

Sirius was waiting in the Room of Requirements of Hogwarts when Harry appeared. Returning back to human form, Harry was swept up in a hug from his godfather.

"Good to see you back, and still in one piece." Sirius started.

"I can't stay long. Its been a week, has Hermione turned up anything in her research?" Harry asked, trying to get straight to the point.

"Ask her yourself. Ron is bringing her. According to the Marauders Map they should be here right about..."

He trailed off as the door opened, and in came Ron with Hermione trailing behind.

"HARRY!" Hermione squealed and enveloped him in a Mrs.Weasley-esque bear-hug.

"It's good to see you too, Hermione. Hows it going, mate?" Harry directed at Ron.

"Probably a lot bloody better than you." Ron quipped. They shared a grin.

"How foolish can you be, Harry. You're literally sitting in the snake pit, how could you be sure you wouldn't get bitten?"

"Calm down, Hermione. I didn't have a choice. We needed someone to get close to Voldemort, and he personally handed me the opportunity. And if what I hope is a lead pans out, we may actually be able to bring him down. How has your research worked out?"

Mentioning research was one way to get Hermione to focus.

"It was slow to begin with, but I've managed to make some interesting finds. The word 'CRYSTALUS' by itself in Latin has several meanings. The most common is simply crystal, or gemstone. However, a rare translation means Drinking Cup. Tracing this translation sends us back several centuries, and the quest for the Holy Grail."

"What?!" Harry asked in surprise. Having been raised as a muggle, he understood the history behind the Holy Grail.

"It seems that several muggles had found a notebook, supposedly authored by an S.S. who talked of an item having many magical properties. However, the only word legible on the page was 'CRYSTALUS'. At their disposal at the time was an outdated Latin translation, listing that word as a cup. So the quest began, looking for a cup that supposedly had many magical, or in their case "holy", properties. Which is the birth of the legend of the Holy Grail.

"That doesn't fit in this case. What I saw was definitely worn around the neck, whether it be an amulet or necklace or whatever. It was not something you drink out of." Harry reasoned.

"Those are all the facts I've come up with. I do have several theories though. This notebook, it was supposedly a copy authored by an S.S. . The muggle incident happened around the same time as the founding of Hogwarts. There's a good chance that it was created by Salazar Slytherin himself. If that is indeed the case, there is one possible place we can go to find out more." Hermione trailed off at Harry's gaze.

"I don't like this. I get what you're implying. You want to go into the Chamber of Secrets. What the hell has gotten into your head!"

"Don't snap, Harry. Hear her out. I have, and it makes sense to me." Ron defended.

"Harry, There has to be more than just a monster's bedroom down there. Its the Chamber of Secrets, Salazar could have kept many things down there. We can't rule it out as a possibility."

Harry began pacing. He really didn't like the idea, but saw it as once again something they didn't have a choice with.

"Fine. Tomorrow night, you two meet me in the bathroom. Bring brooms. And whatever you have to do, Ginny cannot find out. At all. If she tries coming, we're not going. I'm not subjecting her to that shit-hole again."

"I agree with you there mate." Ron said.

"Me too." Hermione agreed.

"I've got to be heading back. One a.m. sharp, tomorrow." With one last nod around the room, Harry reverted into his phoenix form and was gone.

The next night found Harry meeting Ron and Hermione in the bathroom of Moaning Mrytle. They jumped back in surprise as his phoenix form appeared before them. Reverting back into his human form, he laughed at their response.

"Whats wrong guys? Never seen a phoenix before?" He teased.

"Not funny, Harry. " Hermione chided.

"Lets stop wasting time. We've got a job to do, so lets get to it." Ron cut in. He was nervous about going back down into the Chamber, so wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

"Alright. You two bring what we need?" Harry asked.

"Right here." Ron said. Looking over to where Ron had pointed, Harry saw two broomsticks leaning.

"Only two?"

"Well, there's your Firebolt and my Cleansweep. Since Hermione isn't that comfortable of a flyer, she's just going to ride with me." Ron reasoned.

"Well, lets get to it." Harry said, and turned to the sink. Finding the tiny snake engraving, he muttered in parseltongue for it to open.

Hermione jumped back in surprise again, as the sink rose and parted in front of them. Once it had settled, the three looked over the edge and down into the pipe.

"It looked a lot bigger before." Ron said.

"We've grown a tiny bit since then." Harry reminded him.

"Oh yeah."

The three mounted up, and with one last look shared between them, Harry led the way.


End file.
